Fils de l'Amour: The Lost Hero
by Bonesboy15
Summary: We came here to be the vessels of the Nine-Tails… But before that, we must find love and fill the vessel with it. There are some important words I want to tell, but only to the men who complimented my hair… Naruto…will you hear them? I love you. These are the words of his predecessors of the Kyuubi, now, Naruto will find out how powerful love really is. Post - TLO. AU.
1. Mom's Wake Up Call

**Co-Written by Engineer4Ever**

**Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto or Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus.**

**Fils de l'Amour: The Lost Hero**

**Chapter 1: Mom's Wake Up Call**

* * *

The sunlight peaked through the window of a rundown apartment in Konohagakure no Sato, where a sole teenage boy lay in bed. Well, 'in' is being a bit generous. The teen was sprawled across the bed while lying on his stomach, sheets falling partially on the floor along with a leg while a bit of drool came out of the corner of his mouth. His head was covered by short messy blond hair, spiking uncontrollably in several places, and on both of his cheeks were three thin marks, looking akin to whiskers.

The teen's arms suddenly wrapped around the pillow his head rested on and he smiled in his dreaming state. He giggled sleepily and addressed his dream in mumbles, speaking to the pillow softly. Whatever he was dreaming of was interrupted by the loud buzzing of his alarm clock, startling the blond from his sleep with jolt. Blearily, he looked around for the source of his current state of consciousness and found it. Raising a clenched fist, the sleeping teen then dropped it on the device, shattering it with ease.

"Who keeps buying those stupid things? And setting them for so early?" asked the blond with a growl. He closed his eyes in an effort to return to the realm of dreams. He deserved to sleep, damn it. Wasn't saving the world from a madman trying to become a god enough for that at least?

It had only been three months since the end of the Forth Shinobi World War, the cold war between the five great shinobi nations now over. The nations were separate but allied and peace was reigning supreme over the small continent known as the Elemental Nations. The chakra entities known as the Biju were mostly gone, hiding away from humanity to protect the world from another would be revival of their original form.

The Shinju, a primordial entity that was partially responsible for the emergence of the shinobi that dominated the continent. Its' defeat would go down in history as one of the hardest battles known to shinobi. And Naruto was right there on the frontlines. He still had the occasional nightmare about it coming back, about this peace just being a dream.

With another groan at being unable to go back to sleep, the blond pushed himself up and got off of the bed. Groggily, the blond stumbled from his bedroom to the small kitchen in only his boxers. He walked past an amused looking redheaded woman, her violet eyes twinkling as she watched him wave at her tiredly, exposing a small circle in the palm of his right hand.

"Morning mom," said the blond.

"Good morning, Naruto." The woman said with a small giggle. The blond, Naruto, nodded tiredly in acceptance of her and continued his trek to the kitchen. He opened his fridge when it hit him.

His mother, Kushina Uzumaki, had been dead since he was a baby.

So that meant one of two things: either he just said hello to the worst assassin on this side of the planet, or he was still dreaming. Finding the first option to be ludicrous, hell it was downright laughable, Naruto just decided to go with the dream and continued to pull out his morning serving of milk for his cereal.

"So which dream is this? You guys are alive again?" Naruto asked as he grabbed a bowl for his 'morning' breakfast.

"Your father is still very much dead," said Kushina informatively. She had a small smile on her face as she watched her son prepare his breakfast nonchalantly.

"Never had a dream with just you alive," said Naruto, with a thoughtful hum. He poured his milk into the dry cereal waiting in the bowl and then put the milk back into the fridge. He walked out of the kitchen to look at his mother still sitting on the couch patiently with a small smile on her face. "Never had a dream with just dad alive either for that matter. Am I hokage yet?"

"No," said Kushina, another giggle escaping her lips as her son pouted with a spoon in his mouth.

"Damn, seriously?" Naruto asked. He dropped his spoon back into his cereal into his bowl. "Lamest. Dream. Ever."

"It would be if this was a dream, Naruto," said Kushina with a small titter of laughter at his confused face.

"But...It has to be," said Naruto with a frown. He pointed at her with his spoon in hand. "I mean...you're supposed to be, you know..."

Kushina's smile dimmed a little at the reminder of that night sixteen years ago. Curse the frailty of mortal bodies, making her leave such a brilliant baby alone as her then husband died alongside her. Splitting a small portion of herself off into a mortal shell was no problem, considering her flexible and constantly growing domain, she was rather powerful and often overlooked.

"Yes, well, I may have died in that body, but I live on in my main form," said Kushina. Naruto arched a brow and set his bowl of cereal down.

"Main...form...Are you a chakra entity?" Naruto asked. "But you feel...like a civilian?"

"Finally became a bit more observant, haven't you?" Kushina said. A smile tugged at her lips. "In a way, I am a projection, a clone of sorts. I need you, your family needs you. I would've come sooner, but you were needed here."

"Y-yeah, whatever you want, Mom," said Naruto, a bit taken aback. "Where do I need to go?"

"I will take you as far as I can," said Kushina, standing with a smile on her face at his acceptance. "Then you must find Camp Half-Blood."

"H-Half-Blood?"

"It will become clear to you when you arrive, sweetheart," said Kushina taking a step towards him. He took a step back.

"Alright, but can I...can I say goodbye?" he asked.

Kushina bit her lip, she didn't have a lot of time here before they noticed her absence from North America. An idea hit her. "The clone technique. Use your clones to say goodbye, you know the secret about them, don't you?"

"Yeah, I retain-You're a genius Mom!" said Naruto, making his mother smile back at him.

"I try," she said. "Hurry, we haven't much time."

Naruto nodded and stood straight up, holding his hands out in front of him. His index and middle fingers formed a cross in front of him. There was a flux of energy before the room became filled with duplicates as Naruto named his signature technique.

"**Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Multi Shadow Clone Technique)!**"

"Alright guys, you know what to do," said Naruto to his clones, making each of them nod before they vanished in small explosions of chakra infused smoke, similar to their dismissals. The blond smiled proudly back at his mother. "Ready to go!"

"Good," said Kushina. She walked over to her son and put her hand on his shoulder. "This could get a bit bumpy."

"Why?"

"I'm not exactly supposed to be doing this, but it's necessary for what's to come," she said.

He tried to ask her more about it, but before he could the air folded around them and the smell of lavender filled his nose. Their bodies became translucent and slowly faded away. He didn't feel anything for a second, and then they reemerged, and he felt it. The burning, the pain in all of his body. Saying it hurt a lot was an understatement. It felt like he was re-growing skin that had been torn off one bit at a time. He heard himself cry out, felt his legs give and could feel gravity taking its hold on him. Naruto hit the ground unconscious, his body perfectly fine and intact, though his clothes had been changed to more appropriate jeans and a solid white t-shirt.

Kushina knelt down next to him, her form flickering lightly. She cupped Naruto's face with both of her hands, kissing him softly on the forehead to give him a bit of a helping hand in this new world, before pulling back. Her time was up, she succeeded in her goal and was being called back to be questioned by Zeus. She smiled sadly, rubbing her thumb along Naruto's cheek one last time before returning to Olympus to explain herself.

"Be strong, my little maelstrom," said Kushina before she disappeared once again, leaving Naruto unconscious on the cold dirt as a cool springtime breeze washed over him.

* * *

Waking up with a groan, Naruto blearily examined his surroundings before holding his head. His clones sure had to deal with a lot of different reactions, it was a good thing he sent three to Tsunade and Sakura, how the third clones managed to get through the rest of their chiding of him "just accepting someone pretending to be your mom" and "leaving to who knows where on a whim being irresponsible" he hadn't a clue. At least Kakashi and Iruka were more supportive, though they had their own suspicions. Hell, the person he was really worried about was his brother-in-arms/rival Sasuke. All that bastard did upon hearing Naruto's apologetic farewell was slam the door on his face.

The douche.

"...Man, why is everything always so complicated with him?" Naruto asked with a whine. His best friend was a pain in the ass to understand. It was like dealing with a girl sometimes. With a grunt, Naruto rolled to his upper back and kipped onto his feet like he hadn't just landed with what felt like the force of a freight train. The blond twisted his body to loosen his core muscles and then stretched out his arms above his head. "That was one hell of a **Shunshin no Jutsu**. Wonder if I can get Mom to teach me that?"

"Hey buddy!" a voice called out to him, making Naruto turn and look at the speaker. He was a decently short guy, around Naruto's height, wearing a strange hat that looked like a duck's bill attached to a bowl of some sort, his curly hair sticking out this way and that from underneath it. He had a small beard on his chin, an awesome orange shirt and had long pants – similar to the ones Naruto woke up in – as well as some covered sandals on his feet.

"Hi!" Naruto said, greeting the newcomer as he always does when not annoyed: energetically.

"You do know that you're not supposed to venture this far into Central Park without a weapon, right?" asked the bearded guy.

"...Sen-tral Park...?" Naruto asked. "Where's that?"

The bearded guy looked at Naruto like he was an alien. "Y-You do know what Central Park is, right?"

"I'm guessing a park of some kind," said Naruto, a blond eyebrow arching in confusion and amusement.

"...How old are you?" the guy asked.

"Uh...Seventeen?" said Naruto, as though it were obvious.

"S-Seventeen?" The guy looked horrified, which honestly looked hilarious on his face. "You do _know_ why you shouldn't be out here alone, right?"

"...Should I?"

"Di immortales!" said the bearded guy. "What are you, new to this? How can you have never been attacked?"

"I've been attacked tons of times," said Naruto with a frown.

"Wh-what? Really? So you know about the camp, then?"

"...Camp?"

"...Why does this always happen to me?" the bearded guy said, moaning as he rubbed his face with both hands. Dropping his hands to the side, he sighed and then looked at Naruto with what could be called a serious glare. "Alright look, we don't normally get greens your age, but there's a camp for kids like you."

"...I _highly_ doubt that," said Naruto as he tensed a bit and got ready for a fight. This guy's anxiety was going off the charts. And then there was the feeling in the air; like that the natural chakra here was poisoned. Or like something very important was missing.

"Haven't you ever wondered who your parent was?" asked the bearded guy.

"I _know_ who my parents are!" Naruto said hotly, his eyes narrowing and his pupils became small slits.

"You think you do," said the guy. "So who raised you, mom or dad?"

"For your information, neither of them did."

"...Oh...Oh! Oh man, buddy, look I-"

"Save it," said Naruto brushing past the guy with a frown on his face. "I don't want to talk to you anymore."

"Wait, I-!"

"I said leave me alone," said Naruto as he walked away. He may have accepted that he had awesome parents, but that didn't mean he wanted to remember them not being there. Especially after how his father's reanimated corpse sacrificed himself to save the blond. It was like losing the Third all over again.

The guy with the beard and the strange hat followed him as he wandered through the woods. "Wait!"

"Stop following me!"

"I will if you just stop and wait! Let me finish what I was saying!"

"Reminding me of what I didn't have?"

"...Okay, usually with kids like you-"

"We're the same age!"

"If you would just listen-"

"Pass."

"This is important!"

"Don't care. I got something more important to do."

"But!"

"Look, unless you can tell me where my mom is-?"

"Yes!" Naruto stopped to look at the guy. "Well, maybe. You need to find your mom?"

"She brought me here to help the rest of my family," said Naruto with a firm nod. He promised to help his mom, and Naruto Uzumaki never went back on his word.

"Okay, well as I was saying earlier-wait, no this is related to your mom! I promise!"

Naruto rolled his eyes and stopped walking, turning to face the bearded guy. "Well?"

"Look, there's a camp for kids like you, who need to find their parents, so to speak. Just come with me and we can sort this all out with the head counselor's help."

Naruto looked at the guy, his blue eyes searching the guy's brown. Empathetically, he knew that the guy wasn't lying. Logically, he's given no reason to be lying. Still, he had to be careful. Naruto didn't know where he was and what the reason behind his "mother's" sudden arrival was, so he had to play it carefully. The war had made him realize that sometimes not all was what it seemed.

"Alright, you've got my attention," said Naruto.

"Awesome, I wonder if this is how Underwood felt when he met Percy Jackson," said the bearded guy with a smile on his face. He held his hand out. "Name's Billy. Billy G. Overtree."

"Weird name," said Naruto as he took the hand and shook it. "Naruto Uzumaki."

"And you say my name is weird?" Billy asked, taking his hand back. "So, you ready to do some hardcore walking?"

"...Walking?" Naruto asked, smiling in amusement.

"Yeah, unless you know how to drive?" Billy asked. He was a bit hopeful in that aspect.

"Uh, what like a cart?"

Billy's hopeful expression turned into one of horror once again. "Please tell me you're joking."

"Are you talking about one of those train things? You have those here?"

"Di immortales you're not joking!" Billy dragged a hand down his face. "Okay, Naruto, I guess it's a good thing you and me are going to have a long walk..."

Billy led Naruto out of Central Park, explaining the advancement of technology and summarizing the history of the United States as best he could. Naruto, as soon as he made it to West Fifty-Ninth St., gaped at the lights and sounds of the cars. Billy smirked at it. If the blond thought _that_ was impressive, wait until he got to Times Square. They had to hurry, though. Billy could smell the monsters gathering. Whoever this kid's parent was, they were strong.

_I just really hope it's not one of those three and that it _is_ his mother,_ Billy thought. He watched as Naruto looked around, swiveling his head this way and that in childlike wonder. It was...interesting to see how this guy acted. One moment he was reminded of cabin six - the glare that was set on him was that damned Athena glare, he was sure of it – but something told him that wasn't the case. There was something about this guy that reminded him of Grover, too.

"Wow, this is amazing!" Naruto said as he and Billy walked down Seventh Street. He was in awe at how large this city was. Konoha had nothing on it. "And you're saying that this is one city of _many_ states?"

"Yep."

"Wow..." Naruto whistled as he turned around while walking, his eyes on the towers that just continued to rise. He nearly walked right into the street, _again_, only to be saved by Billy, who pulled him back from the road just as a car raced by. "Thanks."

"No problem," said Billy, shaking his head in disbelief. _This kid is too much. At one moment he looks like he's going to kill me, but at another he's carefree as can be. There's only one Olympian I know that matches that description, but he doesn't give off the 'dreamy' vibe and I haven't felt compelled to do anything he says yet._

"What's all that light up ahead?" Naruto asked, curious of the blinding light that stood out even among the bright headlights of the cars that drove past. Billy smirked, knowing what would come soon. His smirk fell as the horrid smell of underground hit his nose. His eyes were wide, his breathing sped up, and the young satyr kicked his shoes off so he could run better, revealing his hooves.

"We need to move, now!" Billy said, shoving the blond forward into traffic. "Don't get hit by a car and keep running!"

"Why?" Naruto asked as he easily kept pace with the satyr. A horn blared, making Naruto look to the left and see a car coming at him and Billy. The driver looked irate that someone dared to run across the street when he had an obvious red light. His irate look turned to shock when the crazy blond that chose to run across the street grabbed the other teen and cleared the rest of the fifty-five feet in one jump.

"Th-Thanks," said Billy, a bit shocked from the sudden jump. Naruto grabbed him by the back of his shirt and helped him back to his feet as they continued to run towards the brightly lit portion of the city. Naruto spared a glance behind him and saw a large cloud of shadow, several red lights coming from it. His eyebrows narrowed in thought before returning his attention ahead of him.

"So, we running from the giant black cloud?" he asked his new friend.

"It's a cloud!? It's never a cloud! Di immortales, why is it a cloud!?"

"I take it that's not normal, then?" Naruto asked as they ran. All he got were more concerned whimpers from the satyr. They broke into the small square of blindingly bright lights, which made Naruto pause from culture shock and awe. Noise was all he heard and the lights were so distracting, he barely heard Billy telling him to hurry up. He did hear Billy cry out his name in warning as the cloud engulfed the blond foreigner.

Billy fell to his knees as he heard the snarls and the tearing. The kid didn't even make it to camp, poor guy. And this was his first one too. Hopefully it got easier like Grover said it would. Guess not everyone can be like Grover Underwood, getting the son of Poseidon to camp alive with ease. Still, there was a small part of Billy G. Overtree that hoped the new guy would make it.

There was sudden yelping and Billy had to drop to the ground to avoid being hit by a flying giant black mastiff, a Hellhound. Billy looked back at the cloud with wide eyes, seeing it grow up and the yelps increasing.

"I said...GET _OFF_!" Naruto said, standing abruptly with one of the Hellhounds held above his head. The other Hellhounds were forced to tumble back as he stood, quickly recovering and snarling at the blond. Naruto glared back at the few in front of him. "Don't forget your friend!" The Hellhound in his hands learned to fly before being reunited with two members of its pack, and taking out a streetlight with the distance they got.

A Hellhound tried to take Naruto by surprise, leaping at him from behind. Naruto turned and punched it square in the nose, stopping it midair and making it fly back. When another tried the same tactic, he spun on the ball of his foot and brought his heel across the side of the monster dog's face, sending it flying. Seeing that these simple attacks were doing nothing, the Hellhounds rushed him once again.

Billy watched as the blond punched, kicked, and in one instance bit, the Hellhounds like they were as light as a feather and their teeth were made of clouds. This was insane, what he was seeing. What he heard next kicked his adrenaline into overdrive. Sirens, mortals had invented them to alert, and alert they did. The Hellhounds' assault continued as the white and blue vehicles of the New York Police Department swarmed Times Square. The sounds of a helicopter were heard and a light was shined down on the fight between what Billy knew were Hellhounds and Naruto Uzumaki. A few more helicopters joined the scene and a couple of the mega screens in Times Square changed to the news, showing the fight as it happened.

There was another yelp that got Billy's attention and he dove to the side to avoid being flattened by the flying Hellhound. The Hellhound in question dissolved as soon as it's back hit the ground, revealing that Naruto had given enough internal damage – possibly a collapsed lung or something of the sort – to kill it. The news cameras zoomed in when a blue light appeared in the center of the mound of 'lions' that the cameras saw.

"**RASENRENGAN!**" Naruto's voice cried out as the Hellhounds were sent flying from the pile they were in, dissolving into gold dust that scattered in the wind. Naruto drove what appeared to be a blue ball right into the face of the last Hellhound, grinding it into golden dust and leaving him alone with two blue spheres glowing in his hands.

* * *

High above the Empire State Building, the Olympians watched through Hephaestus' massive televise-screen, a holographic image that duplicated the effects of a television, acting like a sort of one-way Iris Messaging. One Olympian in particular smiled proudly at the image of the blond with a glowing ball of energy eviscerating the Hellhounds sent after him.

"Damn," said a man with light blond hair, dressed like a work-first businessman with the Bluetooth device in his ear. He lowered the stylish, yet professional sunglasses down his nose as he watched the fight before him. Hermes was impressed with what he saw, and said what many were thinking.

"Whose child is this?" asked the Queen of Olympus. She was intrigued, but the boy was strong like another certain oaf and he only became that way after ingesting something that was not rightfully his.

"Yes, whose is it?" The green-eyed man wearing the Tony Bahama shirt and sandals asked, smirking at the well dressed blue-eyed man that sat next to the queen.

"Not mine," said Zeus with a frown. He was certain that he'd only had interactions with Ms. Grace.

A giggle came from the beautiful woman seated next to the creator of their screen. Her eyes flickered to purple and her hair to red for a brief moment that had a woman with raven colored hair narrowing her gaze. The raven-haired woman looked from the smiling Aphrodite to the screen and back several times before her grey eyes widened in realization.

"You...I don't know how...But _you_ were the loudmouthed tomato!" Athena said, glaring at the smirking goddess of love.

"Guilty," said Aphrodite, practically singing the word. She leaned back on her throne with a smile as the other Olympians looked at her. "What can I say, love works in mysterious ways."

"I will find out what you did, Aphrodite," said Athena, scowling. She returned her gaze to the blond on the screen. "And I will make sure you do not corrupt another."

"You can try, Hooty," said Aphrodite, smirking as Athena's scowl deepened. "He's already been in contact with his mother."

"Aphrodite," said Zeus in displeasure at the openly disobedient comment. "You know the law."

"I never raised him," said Aphrodite with a pretty frown. "I merely brought him from his father's home-"

"Where he should have remained to follow in his father's footsteps!" Athena said with a scowl.

"Like those old crones would've let him try," said Aphrodite with a scowl. "They're more biased than Romans. A lot more volatile, too."

"Sounds like my kind of people," said Ares with a grin. He withered under the glare his girlfriend sent his way.

"After all the hell Naruto went through to unite the countries, I would never let you uproot it, Ares," said Aphrodite, scowling at the god of war. "It's partially your fault that he had to bother with it to begin with!"

"...Oh you're talking about mom's island!" Apollo said, snapping his fingers when he caught on. He looked at the image that was paused. "I never would've guessed. Looks like an east coast kid!"

"He got all those handsome qualities from his father," said Aphrodite, sighing in bliss at the memory that made Ares scowl. Surprisingly, Athena joined her blood lusting brother in scowling at the goddess of love's words.

"We were told not to intervene with the lands of the moving continent, Aphrodite," said Athena. Zeus nodded as he recalled making that decree.

"Yet you still had Minato anyway," said Aphrodite with a smirk. "And I didn't intervene. I simply...spread the love with absentminded control, much like Apollo does with the sun or Artemis the moon."

The twins nodded in agreement with that, using their godly energy to keep track of the island they were originally born on. It was probably why that land was so potent with strange energy that mimicked their own coursing through their veins. Of course, the titan that enlarged it to the size of a small continent was sleeping and wouldn't reveal the reasons behind why she had.

"Still, you disobeyed that decree when you brought the boy here," said Zeus, looking at the blond as he looked around at the mortal authorities. "While I'm sure the mortals could handle him, I believe a final test is in order."

"Is that really necessary?" Poseidon asked his brother.

"Uncle P, you can't play favorites because he's named after stuff that happens in your domain," said Apollo, getting strange looks. "What? Naruto Uzumaki. It's Japanese, I know this stuff."

While Poseidon brooded at being called out on why he was so intrigued in the boy, Zeus looked back at the blond. Naruto was looking around with wide eyes at the flashing lights and the screens with his face on it from different angles. Underneath him was the headline "Superheroes Exist? Teen Destroys Lions in Times Square." Zeus scratched his beard in thought before nodding.

"The boy will be tested." Zeus said, confirming his decision while Aphrodite scowled and Athena frowned. "Send in a Hydra."

"Message sent," said Hermes, finishing the request to Hades for a monster. He looked at his father. "You sure he should be doing this in Times Square?"

"The mortals will forget by tomorrow," said Zeus. "Hecate and Hypnos will ensure that."

* * *

"Hey Billy?" Naruto asked his friend as the NYPD trained weapons on him.

"Y-Yeah?" said the stunned satyr. He'd never seen anything like that, even during the war, no demigod had survived a swarm.

"What are they doing?" Naruto asked, gesturing to the cops setting up a perimeter.

"Uh, well, kids like you aren't, uh...aren't exactly normal," said Billy, who was rapidly trying to think of reasons why this was happening. Man if it was _his_ fault the mortals rediscovered the Olympians, he was so going to get it.

"But what are they _doing_? With their hands?" Naruto asked, seeing all the small objects in the uniformed men's hands. He guessed this was the city's military considering all of the similar uniforms. The blue clothes didn't look very protective though, and those hats were ridiculous! He bet his whole supply of kunai could finish these guys off.

"Put your hands above your head or we will shoot!" said one of the policemen.

"Uh, like this?" Naruto asked, raising his hands up. He wasn't really in the mood to deal with the city's military, but he wasn't exactly eager to fight them either.

"Get on your knees and put your hands behind your head!" said the policeman. Well, now he was just being silly. Naruto had already surrendered, hadn't he?

"Naruto, just do what he says," said Billy, doing exactly as the policeman ordered. Naruto gave his new friend a confused look before complying, getting down on his knees and interlacing his hands behind his head. Police started to move forward, their weapons still trained on the blond kneeing in front of them, but then the ground suddenly moved between them and the blond.

"DON'T MOVE!" An officer ordered, keeping his gun trained on Naruto.

"It's not me!" Naruto said back, watching as the ground cracked and shifted. An unfortunate officer standing too close to the cracking was sent flying as the concrete covered ground shattered and a large scaled head shot up from under the ground. It looked like a diamond and shortly afterward, four more heads that looked exactly the same sprouted close beside it.

"Fall back!" "Get the people out of the way!" "Run!" were the cries of the policemen as whatever they saw scared them enough to retreat.

"B-But it was dead!" Billy said, falling to his butt and scooting back in fear of what stood before him. Settling on a massive lizard-like body was the Hydra, five heads focused on the unclaimed demigod that knelt before it. Billy's eyes widened when he recognized the target. "Naruto, run!"

Naruto didn't need to be told to move, because he rolled out of the way as soon as one head dove at him with its mouth open wide. Avoiding being bitten by razor sharp teeth was at the top of Naruto's to-do list at the moment. He dodged again, this time avoiding another head, before deciding to make some distractions. He crossed his fingers in front of him and focused the chakra.

"**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**" Naruto said, making eight clones appear next to him. They rushed at the monster while Naruto went to help the now bulging eyed Billy up from his seat.

"What-how-but-you-I?" Billy failed to find words, stumbling over himself as Naruto got him to his fe-hooves.

"Explain later. What is it and how do I kill it?" Naruto asked, pulling Billy with him when a clone was dispelled due to a ball of acid sent from one of the Hydra's mouths. Well, that just replaced the razor-like teeth at the top of Naruto's to-do list.

"H-Hydra," said Billy, pulling himself together. "Every head you cut off, two replace it. Sharp claws and teeth, acid spit and reported to have fire breath."

"Good, thanks. So how do I kill it if I can't cut the heads off?" Naruto asked.

"Uh..."

"...Well?!"

"I'm working on it, alright, I'm working on it!" Billy said. "Geez, I'm not a member of cabin six, cut me some slack!"

"What am I supposed to do until then?" Naruto asked. Billy shrugged haplessly before pulling the blond with him out of the way of another shot of acid.

"Avoid dying?" Billy said as they both got up from the ground.

"So improvising," said Naruto. He nodded with a grin. "I'm good at that!"

"Boss!" A clone shouted, making Naruto turn to look at it. Making eye contact with the clone that signaled him, it dispelled and Naruto got its idea, now technically his idea, and he beamed.

"You said don't cut off the head, right?" Naruto asked.

"Unless you can cauterize the neck before it regrows two more heads," said Billy, remembering that tidbit from the legends. "That's how Heracles killed it."

"Who-a-cles?"

"Explain later, duck!" The two dropped as a stream of fire was shot from one of the now six heads – apparently, the clone that had dispelled used a **Rasengan** on one head – and Naruto winced as another clone was forcibly dispelled. Those tails were something to watch for, too.

"So close range is no go for me," said Naruto. He put two fingers in his mouth and whistled, signaling two of his clones, before waving them over. When they managed to break away and join him he pointed at the Coca-Cola sign not too far away. "Go gather Natural Chakra, we're going to Shuriken that thing!"

"Alright!" "You're the boss, Boss." The clones leapt over the police barricade, running for the building they were told to go to at top speed and then, much to the onlookers' surprise, up the side of said building. Naruto watched them go, creating more clones to buy him some time. Now with the knowledge of his plan, the clones knew just to keep the Hydra's attention instead of trying to kill it. He waited and stalled for a good fifteen minutes, before sending another clone up to the two meditating ones.

When both were dispelled, Naruto's eyes dilated, becoming toad-like and golden as he felt the area's nature chakra fill him, an orange pigment appearing over his eyelids. It wasn't a lot, but it was enough. With his permanent chakra battery sleeping off the after-effects of the war, Naruto would have to make due with his minor Sage Mode. Glaring at the Hydra with his fist clenched, the blond was sure it would be.

His hand was lifted above him and another **Rasengan** started to form, but a clone was created beside him, holding both hands up at the small blue ball of energy. The **Rasengan** changed, becoming larger and more like a throwing star, a shuriken. Naruto's clones dispelled at once, confirming his thoughts on the civilians moved far enough back to not be killed by the coming attack.

The clones gone had the Hydra shifting all six heads on him, making Naruto grin at it. All six of the Hydra's heads roared at him challengingly, and he felt its anger. Not at him specifically, but what he was. A word floated between Naruto's empathic link with the Hydra: Godling. Hm, well that was something to ask Billy about. For now, Naruto reared his hand back and then launched the attack forward.

"**Fuuton: Rasenshuriken!**" Naruto said as he threw the ball of energy at the Hydra.

* * *

Olympus watched the attack connect and their eyes widened as the intensity of it eradicated the Hydra's body. Not even golden dust remained, or the trophy fang that was expected of it. Zeus in particular was in awe, having felt all the thousands upon thousands of winds descending on the monster, and felt them shift just appropriately to stay within the dome it created.

"Dibs on fighting him first!" Ares said, his fiery eyes burning with bloodlust. Hermes and Apollo burst into laughter at his exclamation, making him scowl. "What?"

"You-You did see what he did to the Hydra, right?" Apollo asked with a smirk as his laughter died down. Apollo raised his hand palm up and made an explosion gesture. "Boom, gone! You want to fight a kid that can do that?! Ha!"

"He finished it." This was all Athena could manage to say, her eyes narrowed as she watched Hephaestus replay the attack. She smirked at her scowling brother. "Considering you lost to Percy Jackson when he was twelve and untrained, I believe you wouldn't last a second against Naruto Uzumaki."

"Screw you, Owl Pellets," said Ares with a scowl.

Aphrodite just smirked quietly, watching as the god and goddess of war bickered over who would win. Naruto would beat Ares hands down, according to Olympian law Ares would have to fight 'fair'. Had Ares been allowed to use all of his god powers, then perhaps he'd win, but against a hero, he was limited. Ares' arrogance would be his downfall.

"Aphrodite." Zeus' voice made all of the gods stop talking and look at their King as he addressed the demigod's mother. "Your son used my domain."

"My son created those winds," said Aphrodite, smirking at Zeus' scowl. "He didn't manipulate your domain, he made his own."

"That is impossible!" Demeter said, frowning.

"Not so," said Athena. "The people from the moving continent have done similar for centuries, it is expected of a child born there to be able to create their own element from their life force. They create the element within and expel it outwards with their techniques."

"The fact remains that he used _my_ domain outside of the moving continent," said Zeus, giving Aphrodite a pointed glare.

"He is the grandson of Ouranos," said Aphrodite with a pretty smile, making Zeus' scowl deepen.

"...I will let this altercation slide," said Zeus. He held a finger up. "But know this, if he so much as _tries_ to manipulate the sky, I will end him."

"Now, Zeus," said Poseidon, gaining his brother's attention. "Considering the latest...developments, I think it would be in your best interest to let the boy be. After all, the people from the drifting continent live on my domain as much as under yours. You've known they can do this, you're just jealous the boy did it in a way you can't comprehend."

"I am no-"

"And," said Poseidon, cutting his brother off. "That he isn't your offspring. Had this been Thalia Grace, for example, you would've shrugged it off."

Zeus scowled at Poseidon for bringing that up. Great, now he looked biased. And as the god of justice, he wasn't allowed to be biased. Well, dammit, that's just not fair.

"Fine...I won't kill him," said Zeus with a scowl. "Happy?"

"It's improvement," said Poseidon with a chuckle.

"Can I kill him?" Ares asked hopefully.

"Absolutely not!" Aphrodite said before the king could retort. She glared at her 'boyfriend' with heat in her now oddly purple eyes. "Touch my son Ares and there will be hell to pay!"

"...Well, that's no fun," said Ares with a scowl. His scowl fell at Athena's added glare. His sister then shifted her gaze to the demigod's mother.

"You should've left him on the continent," said Athena with a frown. Aphrodite returned it with her own frown.

"Considering that the camp has only fought against monsters and rogue campers, I figured it would be best if we had someone who could help them deal with what was coming," said Aphrodite. Apollo blinked, recognizing what she meant by that. Of course, his twin beat him to the punch.

"Why would one of your children know how to deal with that?" Artemis asked with a frown.

"Well, he has a monster inside of him," said Aphrodite, glancing at the king. "A beast he can control and use to his advantage." She glared at Athena. "One that I had under control, except your son decided in all of his brilliance to deal with in his own way!"

"Minato was doing what he felt was right," said Athena with a scowl.

"Um, Minato? Who's Minato?" Hermes asked.

"Minato _was_ a child of mine, who lost his father shortly after his birth," said Athena with a frown. "He was raised on the drifting continent and eventually became the leader of one of the small military villages."

"Really? Boring job that had to have been," said Ares with a snort.

"You say that, but you don't know Minato like I did," said Aphrodite, interjecting and making Athena scowl once more. She looked at the screen and waved her hand, making two images pull up: a picture of Naruto as he was today and a similar looking blond with a narrower face and piercing blue analytical eyes. "Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Fire Shadow, a title used for the village hidden in the leaves for their dictator, was the kindest, smartest and strongest for ten years after his promotion to jonin, or expert shinobi."

"...You're saying that pansy was a ninja?" Ares asked, once more getting a glare from Athena for the comment.

"Minato wasn't a 'pansy'," said Athena, having taken notes of her son's life and given it to her daughter after the Second Titanomachy to keep them in the loop and to reward her cabin for such great performances and loyalty during it. "Minato, during the continent's third war, had eviscerated a squad of over one hundred enemies in less than five seconds."

"Beat my record by one second," said a pouting Aphrodite and getting odd looks from her. She blinked and her eyes shifted back from purple. "Sorry, still assimilating Kushina Uzumaki back in."

"Assimilating...YOU SPLIT YOURSELF TO WALK AMONGST MORTALS!" Athena said with a look of rage. "That was forbidden even before the Silver Age began!"

"It was forbidden for _minor_ gods and other deities," said Aphrodite with a scowl. "Not for Olympians. I'm surprised none of you have ever tried it. It's quite refreshing."

"Aside from that new idea," said Hermes, snapping the Olympians from the thought of walking amongst mortals. "How did Minato move so fast?"

"He was inspired by a legacy of Zeus," said Athena, waving her hand and bringing up the image of the 'legacy', a white haired man with red markings and a serious look on his face. "Tobirama Senju. A master of what they call Fuinjutsu, he developed a space-time technique that allowed him to teleport. Minato made a jutsu based off of that, the **Hiraishin no Jutsu**."

"Named it after grandpa, did he?" Apollo asked in amusement. He looked at Zeus. "Flying Thunder God."

"Smart boy," said Zeus with a small smirk.

"It allowed him to teleport," said Athena, glaring at the archery god for interrupting her. "Granted, he needed to use a special kunai to do so, unlike his predecessor."

"Hah, so your brat wasn't as good as you say," said Ares.

"Better than you at times," said Aphrodite, making the god gape while the room laughed at him. The purple color in her eyes faded and Aphrodite flushed. "I...Um..."

"_Wow_!" Apollo said, laughing at the look on his brother's face. "Well now that we know about Minato, tell us about the kid."

And so Aphrodite did, ecstatic to get onto a different subject. She told them of his growth from a troublemaking youth – "he was so cute growing up, wearing his bright orange jumpsuit!" – to a hero of the people. At age thirteen he had liberated several villages and countries from tyrants alongside his team. At fourteen, he lost his virginity and was a little shy about doing so.

Athena scolded Aphrodite for watching that but she claimed she couldn't help it, Kushina's attached soul got a look at all of Naruto's dirty little secrets. Aphrodite then continued, after scaring Ares into silence while threatening his jewels if he kept laughing about Naruto's loss of virginity, telling them that at fifteen he was learning to manipulate nature to become stronger, mastering his summons after his and Minato's sensei died. Athena gave a frown at this, conflicted over the death of the man that helped train her star child of the previous generation. Hermes however...

"Wait, wait, wait, back up," said Hermes, holding his hand up with eyes narrowed. "He...He took in Nature?"

"Became part of it," said Aphrodite. She looked to her husband and gestured to the television. "Can you move it back to the fight with the Hydra?" Hephaestus rolled his eyes and rewound the images until it came to the fight in question. "At the end, just before the **Rasenshuriken**. There!" She pointed at the screen. "Can you zoom in on his face?"

"Child's play," said Hephaestus. He waved his hand and blinked at what he saw. "A glitch?"

"Sage mode," said Aphrodite. Her eyes were purple as she looked at her 'husband'. "Thank you, Hephaestus." The gods looked at her oddly and Hephaestus was stuck in a state of shock. Aphrodite didn't notice, pointing at her son's eyes. "His eyes become like a toad's, a side effect of learning through them how to manipulate nature. It enhances his strength and speed, making him as strong as Heracles."

"Hopefully not as pigheaded," said Hera with a huff.

"Not even," said Aphrodite with a titter. "It also makes him extremely empathic."

"Really?" Artemis asked, intrigued. Empathy was a rare trait, even among Aphrodite's children.

"He's particularly connected to negative emotions," said Aphrodite with a sigh. "My poor baby...such a happy boy shouldn't have to worry about these things."

"Aphrodite...focus, please?" asked Demeter.

"Well aside from the mastery of sage mode and the war he was the primary reason the fourth war in the moving continent was won," said Aphrodite. Athena smirked when Aphrodite looked at her. "He seems to take after his father in that aspect."

"War heroes runs in the family," said Apollo, stroking his chin. "Great story...Anything else?"

"The beast, for instance," said Zeus, insistently.

Aphrodite sighed as all eyes went to her, this could take a while.

* * *

While the Lady of Doves divulged her son's darkest secrets and Naruto recuperated with Billy, a strong entity stirred within the crusts of the planet. A small tremor went through Times Square. It was as though something was searching for the source of power that was recently shown. Partially out of concern and partially out of curiosity.

Gaia was interested in whatever happened in Times Square, very interested.

* * *

**AN: Okay, so this is the reason that my updates have slowed. It's not going to be frequently updated and the next SHDG II chapter will be out soon, but I'm coming up on the end of summer and I'm getting ready to go back to college. I'm going to be a bit busy, getting back into the swing of things.**

**There will be more updates of this after SHDG II is done. But if you liked it, y'all know what to do!**

**REVIEW!**


	2. Camp Half-Blood

**Co-Written by Engineer4Ever**

**Fils de l'Amour: The Lost Hero**

**Chapter 2: Camp Half-Blood**

* * *

As the sun rose on the two new friends, they came through a small forest near where Billy said the camp was. Billy also explained why he looked so different, what with the goat legs and all, that he was a nature spirit called a satyr and aged twice as slowly, earning Naruto's sympathy that the poor guy had to redo most of his educational career. Naruto was relieved to hear they were so close, because he wanted to ask more questions about the state of the world outside of his own. Primarily about the lack of nature chakra.

Naruto had nearly collapsed after he released Sage Mode, stumbling more than once into Billy as they ran away from the mass confusion he caused in Times Square. The nature here was weak, something big was missing from it and as a sage, Naruto was not happy with it. While the growth of humanity away from his home was amazing, it had killed a lot of nature. When he brought this up with his friend, he was surprised by the look of surprise that came across Billy's face.

"H-How could you tell?" Billy asked. Was he a son of Demeter? That could explain the feeling of nature that surrounded the blond.

"When I sent those two clones to gather nature chakra, I felt as though something was missing," said Naruto. "After seeing all those impressive buildings, it's kind of obvious what had to go to make all this work. I mean, the last trees I saw that were thriving were in Sen-tral Park."

"Central Park," said Billy, a bit wide eyed. "You-You really care about this, don't you?"

"Yes?" Naruto said, a bit confused at Billy's response. "I'm a sage, why wouldn't I?"

"...A-A sage?" Billy's heart nearly stopped. Sure, he's met demigods that were vegetarian, but they usually turned out to be not all that interested in environmentalism or were far _too_ interested in the case of an extremist that came from Demeter's cabin. But a _sage_...Billy heard stories about sages, the 'career' dying out long ago as Apollo's domain became more science oriented. Hardly any of Hermes' kids nowadays picked herbs anymore and most of Apollo's kids preferred focusing on their archery, well except for the cabin counselor whose mother was a doctor. Heck, the only modern sages today were the Hunters of Artemis, and even that was stretching it. Billy wanted to believe Naruto at face value, but he had to be sure. So...

"Prove it."

"What?" Naruto said, looking at Billy as the satyr stopped cold.

"Prove that you're a sage," said Billy, crossing his arms.

"...Okay," said Naruto with a shrug. He promptly sat down, crossing his legs and interlacing his hands together. He took a deep breath and cleared his mind, his eyes closing as he did. His breathing slowed and became deathly quite, making Billy worry for a moment that he had put himself in a death-like trance. Persephone was another possible mother, rare though her demi-children were, so this would be a _very_ upsetting situation. Then, Billy felt it.

Nature was being drawn to the blond, even Billy wanted to take a step closer, to lend him a hand when he needed to. Morning jays fluttered around him and birds settled on his shoulders, chirping and nesting around him in harmony. A small orange fox and several rabbits came out from their burrows, approaching the human curiously. There was a shriek and an eagle swooped in, flapping its wings as it came to roost where the startled morning jays fled on Naruto's shoulder.

Physically, nothing about the blond changed except for his eyelids, now orange with red mixed in above them. Naruto took another breath and slowly opened his eyes, looking at Billy with the eyes of a sage trained by the Toads of Myouboku. Golden in color with toad-like pupils, Naruto's eyes were entrancing to the satyr.

"So what do you think?" Naruto asked in amusement as the animals of the forest gathered around him and settled next to or on him peacefully.

Billy shook his head, the trance he was in now broken after Naruto spoke. "Wow...You really are a sage. I thought you had to be an old man to be one!"

"Nah, just have to learn how to take the nature chakra in and give it back at the same time," said Naruto, shrugging nonchalantly while not disturbing the creatures settled around him. He stroked the head of the fox laying on his lap and reached up to lightly brush the eagle under the beak. "Friendly, aren't they?" The eagle gave a small cry at the touch and nipped his finger, making Naruto chuckle. "Okay, no touching, I get it."

He let his connection with nature fade away and the animals slowly scattered, save for one. The eagle which cried so proudly on its arrival stayed put where it was on Naruto's shoulder, making Naruto and Billy blink in surprise at the sight of it. Naruto stood, the eagle staying put stubbornly.

"Well this is interesting," said Naruto in amusement, trying to jostle the eagle by adjusting his shoulders, only making it dig its talons into him. "Ow! Billy, help me get it off!"

"Easy, Naruto, this is a sacred animal to one of the gods, I can't just manhandle it," said Billy, getting a squawk from the bird of prey. "Okay, my bad. I didn't know you were a girl."

"She's stubborn," said Naruto with a grunt, reaching for her talons and getting his fingers pecked at. "Okay, okay! Geez, testy, aren't you?"

"She doesn't want to leave," said Billy, looking at the eagle and baaing at it. He got a shriek in return and looked at Naruto in amusement. "She likes you."

"What?"

"She likes you. She can't explain it, and quite frankly once an eagle has their mind set on something..."

"Let me guess, they stick to it?"

"Pretty much."

"...think you can have her relax, then? I won't shake her off as long as she doesn't sever my shoulder."

Billy translated the request and the eagle complied, her talons sliding out of their grip on Naruto's shoulder, making the shinobi sigh in relief. He hesitantly reached up, holding his hand out to the eagle. A wide smile spread across his face as the eagle nuzzled itself into his hand.

"There, that's not so bad-ow!" Naruto pulled his hand back as the eagle nipped his finger again. "I'm not food!" He glared at Billy who was snickering while the eagle released another loud cry. "And just what is so funny?"

"She's insulted that you haven't given her a name yet and try to touch her," said the amused satyr. "Eagles are a proud bird, Naruto."

"She doesn't have a name?" Naruto asked, arching a brow.

"She does, it's just not translatable to human tongue," said Billy with a shrug. The eagle shrieked loudly, her wings spreading in pride as she did, making Billy roll his eyes. "Okay, well according to her, the closest translation would be 'the chick born in harmony of the nest made with the King's feather'."

"Yeesh, and I thought your name was weird," said Naruto, looking at the eagle and ignoring the deadpan stare he got from the satyr. "Alright, your name is Miu (美羽) which stands for beautiful feather. How does that sound?"

After Billy translated for him, the newly named Miu cried out, taking to the sky and looping before coming back to the demigod's shoulder. She nuzzled her head against the blond's and allowed him to pet her, much to his and Billy's amusement.

"I'll take that as a yes," said a snickering Naruto. He dropped his hand and looked back at the satyr. "So, Billy, now what?"

"We could go over the Olympians I suppose," said Billy, scratching his fuzzy chin while Naruto and Miu looked at him curiously. "There's the Big Three; Zeus, Poseidon and Hades. Zeus is the king of Olympus and the god of the sky and all in its domain... Which could be why Miu is so attached to you, he could be your father. It would be possible with the oath revoked."

"My father is not a god," said Naruto with a frown. "My mom said he was still dead."

"Okay, so that rules out a good portion of Olympians," said Billy, frowning in confusion at that. Was it just Naruto's connection with nature that brought Miu to him or was it something else?

The two continued to discuss the Olympians as they made their way to Camp Half-Blood, a name that slightly put Naruto off. Billy started out by naming the primary twelve and their domains. Naruto felt that Hestia got gipped when it came to Dionysus' seat being offered, but he admired her for the sacrifice she made. He was a bit conflicted on hearing that the new Twelfth Olympian was his new camp counselor, but shrugged it off as he continued to listen to Billy. To Naruto, the gods weren't as interesting as the goddesses, since there were not as many stories about them unless it concerned punishment that Naruto felt was a bit much. I.e. Artemis and the idiot that peeped on her – he'd have to write home about that one to Tsunade, she would probably claim Artemis as her new patron or matron or whatever it was, then drink to Ero-Sennin's memory – and Athena and the spider thing.

Come to think of it, didn't his resurrected dad kind of hesitate against the Juubi in its incomplete form, which kind of looked like a spider on steroids?

Naruto shook those thoughts off as Billy started to talk about Hera, Zeus' wife and sister – something that hardly made Naruto blink, considering his homeland was full of incest and he was sure that there was an Uzumaki who shacked up with his sister – but more importantly, also the queen of Olympus.

They finished with Hera and Amphitrite, the wife of Poseidon, coming to a close on Hades' wife/niece Persephone as they came across a sign that said "Delphi Strawberry Fields, No Trespassing."

"...She could totally be your mother," said Billy. He pointed up at Miu, who was flying high above them to stretch her wings. "It could explain why Miu likes you!"

"You said Persephone took mostly from her mother in abilities and is the wife of Hades, I'd say after she ate one of those fruits she probably lost a lot of contact with the sky," said Naruto. He looked behind him in amusement. "And I don't see any black flowers popping up behind me while I walk."

"I told you that was one case!" Billy said with a frown. He sighed. "Well, that leaves Aphrodite, goddess of love, lust, beauty and pleasure. Her kids know how to speak French like oui, which means yes, or their favorite pas très impressionnant, not very impressive."

"Really?" Naruto blinked in confusion. "Why do they like to say that?"

"Aphrodite's daughters are expected to break boys' hearts to win her favor," said Billy, shaking his head. "A lot of guys at camp try to get their attention. I pity the bastard that actually falls in love with one. All previous attempts have been disastrous Well...except for one guy. He got lucky, though."

"And her sons?" Naruto asked, intrigued.

"Who knows, maybe she doesn't favor them because she compares them all to the Trojan Aeneas. If they have some special rite, the camp doesn't know about it," said Billy with a shrug.

"Oh...What does she usually look like?" Naruto asked, knowing that while the goddesses could change their appearance, they had certain forms they liked to take.

"She appears as the one you love the most times ten," said Billy. He shuddered and rubbed his arms. "If I ever met her...I'd feel so bad for doing that to Bebe."

"...Bebe?" Naruto asked in amusement.

"My girlfriend. She's a dryad, a land nymph. She lives inside a willow."

"...So you're dating a tree?"

"No! The spirit in the tree."

"I'm not judging you."

"But it's not like that!"

"Hey you don't have to lie to me, Billy."

"...You suck, Naruto."

"I've been told that a lot," said the snickering blond while his satyr friend glowered at him. He looked up at his happily soaring eagle and called to her. "Miu, come down, I think we're almost there!"

"What makes you-Oh..." Billy's words died on his lips as Naruto pointed at the tree at the top of the hill. "You, uh, you remembered that, did you?"

"I'm not an idiot...I'm just a slow learner," said Naruto, pouting at the unintentional insult.

"I never, but, you, I..." Billy groaned when he saw Naruto crack a smile as Miu landed on Naruto's shoulder. "I hate you, Naruto."

"Oh don't say that, otherwise I'll have to try to get on your good side," said Naruto with a chuckle while he gave Miu's beak a small gentle stroke with the side of his finger. She crooned at the attention he gave her while they walked up the hill. Naruto grinned at his new friend. "Say, didn't you say something about me being the first demigod you retrieved?"

"...Yeah...Hey, yeah!" Billy perked up. "Holy crap, you're the first demigod I've ever brought back to camp!"

"I live to serve," said Naruto with a smile. "Thanks, Billy."

"Anytime, Naruto," said Billy, grinning back at his new friend. They continued their slow peaceful march up what was called Half-Blood Hill – once again, Naruto frowned slightly at the name – and near the pine tree, Naruto saw a dragon, something he thought was only in legends.

After Naruto pointed it out, Billy waved him off and they kept walking. "Don't mind him. That's Peleus, the guardian of the Golden Fleece. As long as you don't try to touch it, he won't ... bother... you..."

Billy had stopped, staring at Naruto as soon as he stepped past the invisible boundary, making the blond arch his brow. Then his vision was engulfed in a red haze, making Naruto go wide-eyed.

_K-Kurama, is that you?!_ He thought just a bit hopefully. There was no response, making Naruto's hope sink until he felt something change. He looked at his arms, which looked a bit larger than before. He also noticed that his bare arms were now covered and he was dressed for a different weather. Looking down past his now sleeved arms, he saw that his sandals were still in place, and his strange pants had become darker in color. Weird.

Lifting eyes back to his arms, Naruto was happy to find orange on his arm, an orange jacket! He quickly slid the garment off and grinned at what he found. Back in black and orange, kicking ass and taking names was a jacket that was similar to the upper part of his jumpsuit when he was a kid. Well, aside from the collar being furred instead of just white. Heck there was the same Uzumaki carving on the left shoulder. Turning it around, Naruto was ecstatic to find his clan's seal smack dab in the middle of his back.

He looked at his arms, surprised to find his white t-shirt replaced with a blue long-sleeved shirt. Miu chirped to him and flew from his shoulder, her talon catching something and nearly choking Naruto as she did. Quickly freeing the eagle's talon from the chord that was attached to it, Naruto followed the chord that was around his neck to a small green gem that made Naruto's eyes widen in shock. He thought the first's necklace was lost when he flipped out on Nagato!

"Naruto...your face!" Billy said in alarm, not realizing that Miu's cries or the light Naruto gave off when he was claimed had attracted the attentions of others.

"What, what happened to my face?" Naruto asked, dropping his necklace to put his hands on his face. Feeling nothing wrong, Naruto looked at his hands for any signs of dirt, blinking in confusion when his skin felt smoother than ever before. His eyes widened in horror. "What happened to the calluses on my hands?!"

That was a sign of his hard work paying off, dammit!

"Mr. Overtree, what are you...oh my," said a man attached to the body of a horse. Naruto could care less about the horse-man, his calluses were gone! The shit was that?!

"Naruto, could you obsess less about your calluses and come say hello to your new activities director?" Billy asked, worried this would look bad if Grover-nope, too late. He's here, too.

"Well there's something you don't see everyday," said the amused head goat. Grover Underwood was chuckling in amusement while the new son of Aphrodite stared in horror at his hands.

"Grover, I can explain everything. He's not always like this I swear! Naruto, dammit, you're making me look bad!"

"You look bad?! I'll be a laughingstock of Konoha if I go back like this! Smooth hands! Civilians have smooth hands, shinobi have hands caked in sweat and ...grime..." Naruto seemed to finally notice he was no longer alone. He raised one hand awkwardly to the group of demigods, satyrs and the one horse-man. "Uh...Hi?"

Two bright lights appeared above him and Naruto turned his head in an effort to see them. "Oi! What's the big idea, shining lights on me? Billy, what's going on?"

"Y-Your mother...mothers...Uh, you've been claimed," said Billy, confused by the two lights above his head. One was large and pink, shaped like a dove, which explains the, uh, makeover. The other, however, was grey like an owl and much smaller next to the dove.

"Been a while since this has happened," said the horse-man softly before turning to the campers. "Camp, we have a new hero! All hail...erm..."

"Naruto Uzumaki." Billy supplied dutifully. He caught Grover nodding at him, making him stand a bit straighter at the praise.

"Ah, yes, thank you, Billy. All hail Naruto Uzumaki, son of Aphrodite and legacy of Athena!"

While the campers got to their knees in front of him and Miu banked around a hedge before settling on his shoulder, Naruto reacted as his friends back home would expect him to.

"...What?"

The horse-man told the confused blond to follow him after the campers rose to their feet. A couple of pretty girls that were younger than him whispered together in a small group and he could feel something akin to hope come from them as they looked at him. Weird, but when was the first time anything a girl did make sense? Like Hinata's decision to confess her feelings to him in the fight against Nagato; touching, yeah, but _really_ an inopportune moment to pick and it didn't lead to anything, not that he hadn't tried. He just didn't like Hinata like that. At least she was still willing to be his friend.

"Oi, Horse-guy, how is it I have two moms?" Naruto asked, waving at another girl that walked by as she waved at him. Man these campers were friendly. "I mean, Billy said the Olympians did some 'weird' stuff, but um..."

"My name is Chiron, not 'Horse-guy', Mr. Uzumaki," said Chiron with a frown as he looked at the boy. "And you don't have two mothers. You're a legacy, which is not unheard of, but very rare."

"Okay, yeah, but why did I get two lights?"

"Your ancestor, Athena, deemed you worthy off the bat to be claimed alongside Aphrodite's claim," said Chiron. He looked at the farmhouse, which he told Naruto was called the Big House ("Stupid and obvious, how could anyone forget that name?"), nervously. "Things have been tense since the second Titanomachy."

"The war against the Titans," said Naruto recalling Billy telling him about it. That reminded Naruto, he wanted to meet this Percy kid. He seemed like an okay guy.

"Quite. Now, I've been informed you would arrive shortly, the Head Counselor told me to keep an eye out for you...I don't think he knew that you'd be so easy to spot," said Chiron, amused while Naruto flushed slightly at being put under two spotlights earlier.

"I didn't ask for that...or for these clothes...by the way, where did these come from, anyway?" Naruto asked, a brow arched.

"Aphrodite deems it fit to show off her children during a claiming," said Chiron in amusement. "She 'perfects' you. I'm surprised she didn't get rid of the marks on your cheeks."

"They can't be removed." Naruto said with finality. He wouldn't want them to be removed anyway. He was at peace with them and what they meant. "Besides, they were there since day one."

"Er, yes, well. Your cabin is Cabin Ten, and...how old are you, Mr. Uzumaki? Sixteen?"

"Seventeen last month," said Naruto with a grin. Boy was _that_ a party. After he helped rebuild the Ichiraku stand, he was treated to a night out by the village funds, many higher ups in the Shinobi Alliance thanking him for his help. Got even wilder after Lee had some of the sake he wasn't supposed to have.

"Really? Oh dear..." said Chiron, cupping his chin in thought. "Drew won't like hearing that."

"Who?" Naruto asked, tilting his head up and looking at Miu as she came in from her survey of the camp. "Hey Miu, is it big enough for you?"

He got a small croon while he stroked her beak, making Chiron look at him. "Interesting...that eagle, Miu was her name, yes?"

"Beautiful feather," said Naruto smirking as he caught the irony of the name now while Miu gave a small cry at her name's meaning.

"...Very interesting." Chiron said, sounding like he was thinking about something. The centaur looked forward as they approached a pink cabin. He raised a hand and lightly knocked, the door opening to reveal a pretty girl of Asian descent, dressed like she just woke up for the day. Chiron sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Ms. Tanaka, the morning horn was blown forty minutes ago..."

"Ah, sorry Chiron, I must have slept through it," the girl said sweetly. She noticed Naruto and smiled at him before frowning as she realized what his presence meant. "Another one?"

"Your new _older_ brother," said Chiron, making the girl's eyes widen. Chiron turned to Naruto, who had his brows furrowed in confusion. "Naruto, as the eldest of your cabin, you are now the cabin counselor. It's different for each cabin, but for Aphrodite, who has so many children like Apollo, she has the oldest take charge."

"Why?" Naruto asked, simply out of curiosity.

"Because that's just how mom does it," said the girl with a frown as she looked at her _brother_. "I'm Drew Tanaka. And you are?"

"Naruto Uzumaki," said Naruto with a grin. Miu squawked and he chuckled before looking at her. "And this is Miu."

"Comes with a pet, that's a new accessory," said Drew flatly. She obviously didn't sound pleased with Naruto's arrival, but was tolerating it because of something. _Probably Chiron's presence,_ Naruto thought. He shrugged it off though, she'd warm up to him eventually.

"Indeed," said Chiron, once more sounding like he was thinking about something while he looked at Miu. He turned and looked back at Naruto. "I leave the cabin to you, Naruto. Drew should be able to help you get used to being counselor."

"Unless he doesn't want to be counselor..." Drew said suggestively, looking at Naruto intently, almost glaring at him without actually glaring at him.

"Ms. Tanaka, please don't abuse your gifts," said Chiron with a sigh. "The poor lad just got here."

"Yes, yes," said Drew, waving him off. She opened the door further, allowing Naruto to catch a glimpse of the _very_ pink interior of the cabin. "Come on then, Naruto. Let me introduce you to the others."

"Sweet, I've always wanted siblings," said Naruto with a smile.

"Please be ready by lunch at the latest," said Chiron, frowning at the girl.

"I'll do what I can to help my new brother get the rest of these lazy bums up," said Drew with a smile. Chiron nodded and trotted off, leaving Naruto alone with his sister. Well, at least he had Miu.

"Ah-ah-ah. No birds aloud except for-" The sky rumbled and Drew frowned. "Well if he's going to be like that...Fine, the bird can come."

"Eagle," said Naruto shaking his head as he stepped in. He cringed at the blinding pink, it was way more than Sakura had on her head. Once the door was shut, the girls who were holding various trash bags or bins of clothes dropped them with a cheer, their hands raising above their head while Drew scowled at them.

"All of you need to shut up!" she said, her command making them begrudgingly do so. She turned to her new brother with arms crossed over her chest. "Welcome to Cabin Ten, Naruto. Now be a dear and relinquish your status back to me. It is after all too much for someone as new as you."

"Why would I do that?" Naruto asked. The smirk that was spreading across Drew's face suddenly turned into a shocked gape while the other girls in the cabin gasped and the guys started to whisper.

"...Naruto, you _will_ make me cabin counselor again," said Drew, glaring daggers at her older brother despite the kind tone in her voice. Miu shrieked at the underlining hostility she had spoken with and Naruto crossed his arms over his chest.

"With that kind of attitude, I can be sure I won't," said Naruto with a frown. Drew's face turned red with rage while their brothers and sisters smiled at the claim.

"Naruto, _I_ am cabin counselor," said Drew sweetly, dropping her dagger-like glare. Miu shrieked again and Naruto smirked at his sister, flicking her in the forehead hard enough to make her stumble back onto a bed.

"No, now you stay there until you decide to stop being a brat," said Naruto with a smirk while Drew's livid face glared at him. She started to rise and Naruto frowned. "I said _sit_, Drew." Drew visibly struggled with herself before slowly sitting down. Naruto smiled again and nodded. "Good! Now when you decide to stop being a brat, you can help me get the hang of this counselor st-"

"I'll help you!" "No I will!" the cabin members quickly started to volunteer. Anything to keep Drew away from power over them again. Naruto blinked in surprise and smiled at his other siblings.

"Awesome, I could use the help! Thanks girls...and guys." He said with a pure smile. The cabin cheered again, and many would wonder why Cabin Ten was so happy as they walked by for an activity. Naruto was swarmed by his new cabin members, all of them asking questions like how old he was and where he was from. He told them he was from far away and would give them more after he got settled in. They asked if he had any other supplies and he shook his head, making them nod in understanding. A younger girl, Lacy, who had blonde hair similar to his own, pulled into pigtails and some strange metal on her teeth, walked him around the cabin while the rest finished getting dressed. She explained that he was in charge of curfew, chores and a whole lot of other stuff that Naruto was sure he could do by himself with his clones. He wouldn't though, considering his sisters looked like twigs compared to his friends back home and his brothers looked a bit too fragile for his liking.

Before heading out to lunch, Naruto told Drew to get in the shower and get ready for the day, making her scowl but oblige, lest she be embarrassed like she was in front of her cabin members a moment before. Naruto shook his head at her attitude and became determined to clean her from it. Shunting that concern aside for now, he continued to listen to Lacy as she rambled on and on about what Drew used to do when she was Cabin Dictator.

"...and just before Chiron knocked on the door she was having me pull out clothes for her to choose from and then put in a pile just so I'd have to wash them and put them away," said Lacy with a frown, looking far too cute for a fourteen-year-old. Naruto chuckled at her face before looking at his chattering siblings and then at the window where Miu was perched.

"Well, you won't have to worry about that from me," said Naruto, pulling Lacy into a small hug that she returned gratefully. He let her go with a smile on his face and he grabbed his jacket. "As long as I've got this and this," he then pulled at his necklace, "I'll be good with whatever I wear."

"Like your sandals?" Lacy asked in bemusement. Not many guys could pull them off after all, but Naruto did.

"Yep!" Naruto said with a smile. He got up from the too soft for its own good bed and stretched. There was a soft rumble that made Lacy look at him with a look of amusement on her face. The older blond could only laugh. "Guess it's that time." He went to the shower and knocked on the door. "Drew, lunchtime. Let's go, you heard the horse-guy!"

"Chiron," said Lacy with a giggle while Drew groaned.

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him," said Naruto with a chuckle. He opened the door and his siblings filed out in twos, Lacy waiting for him and scooting behind him as Drew huffed and went to get dressed quickly before rushing out the door after the group that left before her. Naruto looked down at Lacy and smiled at her, boosting her confidence a bit more and letting her run out after the former dictator while Naruto chuckled. As he left his cabin and shut the door, Miu took to the air from the windowsill, flying in the sky with a shriek.

Lunch was an interesting affair, demigods giving some of their food to the hearth in tribute to the gods. Naruto bowed his head and gave it to his mother and ancestor, dropping a bit for Hades to ask that he go easy on his dad for any sins and then asking for Hestia to help him make good decisions to help his family like she did. The hearth seemed to get a bit warmer after his prayers.

Naruto took a seat at the head of the table, Lacy on his left and his brother Mitchel on the right. Drew was at the far end of the left, a bit of space between her and their brother Erik. There were whispers from the other tables, but the First, Second, Third, Eighth and Thirteenth tables were empty for no reason in particular, well the second because as Billy said: "Hera doesn't have affairs, that's her husband's job." And then Artemis' Hunters were probably out hunting, the former member of Cabin One leading them. But it was strange, wasn't that Percy kid the son of Poseidon? Cabin Three?

Before Naruto could wonder more on this, Lacy asked him a question that he missed. Blinking, Naruto looked at his sister. "What?"

"I said 'how did you beat Drew's charmspeak?" Lacy asked him again, making the table hush while Drew scowled at Lacy. The look was broken as Miu flew in, shrieking before landing with a few flaps of her wings on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto lifted a small piece of meat, pig he thinks, for her to nibble on. While Miu gobbled it down, Mitchel found his voice.

"He probably has his own charmspeak, Lacy," said Mitchel. The boy got a few curious looks and he said. "What? We all know it takes one charmspeaker to be immune to another, and Naruto's a guy, so that makes it stronger."

"...My what-speak?" Naruto asked, both he and Miu giving Mitchel looks like he had grown a second head.

"Charmspeak," said Lacy. "It's something Aphrodite-"

"Mom," said Naruto pointedly. He thought it was stupid that demigods would have to call their 'godly parents' anything other than what they were: Mom or Dad.

"...Mom," said Lacy with a small smile. "Can do. It lets the user manipulate whoever they're speaking to, and usually doesn't work on other charmspeakers or members of the same sex, but you must have a lot of practice with yours on girls."

"Okay well, I don't charmtalk or whatever," said Naruto with a shake of his head. "I mean, if I did, I did it against Nagato to make him stop his rampage for revenge, but you just said it doesn't work on members of the same sex, so I couldn't have done it on him."

"_Charmspeak_," said Drew with a scowl. "Is a _rare_ gift _mom_ gives to her children."

"Sure, maybe there's some genjutsu you can use just by talking. And I have the Sharingan buried deep in my DNA," said Naruto with a snort while he took another piece of meat and ate it.

"Naruto, you can charmspeak," said Mitchel. "You just heard Lacy say that it doesn't work on other charmspeakers, and earlier Drew was using charmspeak to get you to step down!"

"Listen Mitchel, I don't have charmspeak. I just say what I feel is right," Naruto said with a shrug, making Miu squawk at the jostle she got. He apologized by feeding the brown feathered eagle another piece of meat. "No charm to it."

The members of Cabin Ten just stared at him in disbelief. He had to have charmspeak, there was no other explanation to Naruto being able to just shake off Drew's orders. Before any of them could continue Naruto looked up at the sound of footsteps approaching. A girl with blonde hair like honey and grey eyes that had a bit of red around them nervously approached them, looking up at the sky as she got closer.

Naruto saw the girl mouth the word 'please', making him furrow his brow in confusion. When she stood right next to him, the girl swallowed before she spoke.

"Your name is Naruto right?" she asked, looking as professional as she could. Naruto nodded, but she pressed on. "Naruto Uzumaki?"

"Yeah, that's me," said Naruto with a grin. He scratched the underside of Miu's beak. "This is Miu, and I'm sure you know my cabin by now."

"Hi Annabeth!" said most of the members of Cabin Ten. Annabeth waved at them with a small smile before looking back at him.

"Naruto...C-Can you tell me if you've met a boy named Percy Jackson?" Annabeth asked, her breath hitching at saying his name.

"I've heard of him, but I haven't seen him yet," said Naruto, a bit miffed at not meeting the Hero of Olympus yet. Seriously, the guy sounded really cool, but now Naruto was starting to think he was one of _those_ guys that thought they were too cool, like Sasuke. He could accept Sasuke's dick-like attitude, having grown up with it, but he really didn't like other guys who acted like him.

"Oh..." Annabeth said, her head falling and her feelings of depression washing over Naruto like a bucket of cold water. Naruto shuddered minutely from the feeling and looked at his sad siblings while Annabeth walked away.

"Poor thing," said his sister Alexandra. "Since Percy went missing from his home, she's be barely able to keep it together."

"Percy is missing?" Naruto asked, going over the conversation he and Billy had about the boy in his head. Naruto's eyes widened as he recalled the present-tense Billy used. Goat boy didn't tell him Percy was missing! He looked back at Annabeth and saw her sit down at Cabin Six's table, she was a daughter of his ancestor.

"Been missing for a few days," said Mitchel with a shake of his head. "Just up and vanished one day after going to bed the day before. We searched the whole city, but no such luck. Here one day, went to school and then gone the next. It's been driving poor Annabeth up the walls."

Miu crooned and Naruto consoled her by stroking the underside of her beak, knowing that she as an animal was affected by the dark emotions filling his table. He looked at his meal, feeling bad for comparing Percy to Sasuke when he was actually missing. Naruto excused himself and dumped the rest of his meal in the hearth, apologizing for ending the meal so rudely and thanking them for hosting him – those ninja classes on manners were useful after all – before he went over to cabin six's table.

The children of Athena looked up at his arrival, his claiming appearing over his head again making Naruto wave at it in annoyance. He was claimed already, wasn't he?

"You want to sit down?" offered one of the boys, he had the same blond hair as Annabeth, who had disappeared from the pavilion, and the same eyes.

"No thanks," said Naruto with a shrug. "Can you tell me where Annabeth went? I want to ask her something."

"She probably went back to the cabin," said the boy. "I'm Malcolm, I was there when you got claimed earlier."

"Oh yeah, that..."

"...So Aphrodite's cabin, huh?"

"What about it?"

"Nothing...Just be grateful you're not Butch's brother. He's a nice guy, but the crap he gets for his mom..."

"Who's his mom?"

"Iris, Goddess of Rainbows."

"Ouch."

"Yeah, but like I said, he's a nice guy."

"Well, thanks Malcolm, I'm gonna go see if I can get Annabeth to talk to me," said Naruto with a nod of his head while Malcolm shrugged.

"Good luck. Without her, I'm in charge and quite frankly it kind of sucks. That and seeing her sulk is really weird after seeing her so happy for so long."

Naruto stood on the steps of Cabin Six, looking up at the owl that was over the doorway and then back at Miu.

"I dunno if Athena will let you go in, Miu," said Naruto apologetically. The eagle caught the drift and flew off towards Cabin Ten, where she was oddly welcomed with 'open arms'. Naruto felt bad that he had to send her away, but he really wanted to talk to Annabeth. Something was telling him to help her out, and doing so he would be rewarded with more than just gratitude, but something of equal reward. Curious about what that inkling meant, Naruto raised his hand and knocked on the door of the cabin. He waited a few seconds, shifting awkwardly on his feet.

Just when he thought it was time to go, the door cracked open and Annabeth looked at him with her jaw clenched, as though she was trying not to cry. He could tell she had been by tearstained cheeks and the red puffy eyes she had. Naruto felt bad that Annabeth felt this way, not knowing how she was feeling personally, but empathetically.

"Uh, hi Annabeth," said Naruto, smiling sheepishly. "Look, I know now isn't exactly the best time, but, um, I'm sort of-"

"You're a legacy of Athena," said Annabeth with a nod. "Malcolm told me. It's all the cabin can talk about at lunch."

She was really strong for not letting her emotions get the best of her, but sometimes you had to let go. Naruto smiled a bit, recalling a similar experience after Jiraiya died. Looks like he was going to be playing Iruka's role this time around.

"Sorry if that bothers you," said Naruto. "I just...I want to know more about Athena. I know she's the goddess of wisdom and honorable warfare, but the second one really doesn't make sense. What is honorable warfare?"

Annabeth seemed to gain a gleam in her eye, explaining it as best she could to the blond before her. He kept her talking about her mother and his ancestor, keeping her mind off of Percy for the time being. He was invited in after she talked about weapons, when Naruto remembered he was literally without a kunai, shuriken or anything else. So before he could even finish asking about what the demigods usually fought with, Annabeth pulled him into the weapon's shack.

"We're the best suited to help a demigod pick their weapon if they don't want to make their own," said Annabeth proudly, her eyes cleared up and back to their normal grey. "So...what do you think?"

Naruto looked over the options. There were a lot of swords, which made him frown. He wasn't a sword guy. That was Sasuke's shtick. He liked getting up close and personal, hand to hand was always fun. He used kunai and shuriken to cover his long range weaknesses, but there wasn't any of those anywhere. Maybe he could make them in Arts and Crafts like Annabeth said he could. Then something stuck out to him, something that called to him.

His feet moved him and his eyes scanned the rack of weapons for what was reaching for him. He found it at the edge of the long range weapons, leaning against the wall, not even on the rack. It was caked in dust, but still beautiful in Naruto's eyes, unused but full of potential.

A simple Bo staff, but it was far from being just a staff, something deep within him told him so. Caps that had silver paint chipping off of them covered both ends. The staff itself was a faded bronze and had an obvious gap at the center. Naruto reached for it, grabbing one half that slid off of the other, revealing a sharp surprise that Naruto was all too familiar with from the war. Flashes of fighting against Madara's shadows had him stiffen before he came back at Annabeth's voice calling his name.

"I'll take it," said Naruto, grabbing the other end and flipping it expertly in his hand so that the other sharp tip was away from his palm. He began an intricate dance, one he didn't know where he picked up – possibly ingrained from his fighting in the war – but one that was memorized all the same. He finished by connecting the staff, clicking it together with a grin.

"But...Surely you want something else," said Annabeth weakly. The guy would get killed if he ran out there with that old thing.

"No, I want this," said Naruto, nodding as he looked at it. A smile spread across his face. "It feels right."

"...I can't stop you," said Annabeth, still a bit unsure about his choice. "But I really don't think its smart."

"'The smartest thing you can do is to follow your gut,'" said Naruto with a grin, quoting Jiraiya. His quote made Annabeth's eyes go wide.

"Where...Where did you hear that?" she asked him.

Naruto blinked and his smile died down. "My sensei Jiraiya."

"J-Jiraiya no Gama?" she asked hesitantly. "Six foot tall, white hair and...and toad sage, Jiraiya?"

"You know Ero-Sennin?" Naruto asked, nearly dropping his new weapon in shock. How was that even possible?!

"Di immortales," said Annabeth. She rushed back into the main room of Cabin Six, Naruto quickly following after her. The daughter of Athena scoured the bookshelf, asking herself what she did with it. She ran over to one of the bunks shoved to the side of the room and began nearly tearing it apart before she found what she was looking for. A dark leather bound book with very familiar kanji written on the front in bright yellow.

"'Yondaime Hokage'," said Naruto, his eyes widening.

"You can read it?!" Annabeth asked, looking at the kanji with wide eyes. "It's like a mix of Japanese and Cantonese, I can't make sense of it, the inside is Greek, but...Naruto, who is this man to you?"

"...He's...He's my father, why?" Naruto asked.

"Because Naruto, he's my brother," said Annabeth. "Minato Namikaze was a son of Athena."

* * *

**AN: Whoo! There's chapter two to sate you who await either another update of this or of SHDG II. Classes start tomorrow, so writing may be a challenge, I don't know. Props to my co-author on this project and my good bud Engineer4Ever for giving me the okay to update sooner than we planned. Anything you wanna add, Enge?**

**Engineer4Ever: Sup readers! Just want to say thanks for reading and I 'love' you for loving this fic!**

**Couldn't have said it better myself, Enge. Alright folks, y'all know what to do!**

**REVIEW!**


	3. Training

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, you all know it  
**

**Co-Written by Engineer4Ever**

**Fils de l'Amour: The Lost Hero**

**Chapter 3: Training**

* * *

"A-A son of Athena?" Naruto said, blinking in confusion before it clicked. "Wait, does that mean Athena's my grandmother?!"

"Seems that way," said Annabeth with equal surprise. A legacy only one generation away, he's almost eligible to be in her cabin.

"...Does that make you my aunt?" Naruto asked, a smile spreading across his face.

"W-well technically yes-" Annabeth started to say, only for Naruto to cut her off.

"Sweet! I'm gonna call you Aunt Annabeth!" He said with a blinding smile. Annabeth blinked before frowning a bit.

"Please don't call me that." She said.

"Okay...Aunt Annie," said Naruto, grinning widely.

"Definitely not." Annabeth said flatly.

"What about Auntie Anne?" he asked innocently.

"No."

"Please?"

"No!"

"Anna-oba?"

"...You're not going to stop until I say yes, are you?" Annabeth asked dryly.

"Nope!" Naruto said with a grin. He was having far too much fun with this.

"Fine." Annabeth said, giving her nephew a stern look. "Just not in public."

"You got it, Anna-baba." Naruto said with a grin. Annabeth just shook her head in exasperation.

The blond son of Aphrodite's grin fell slightly as he looked at the book in Annabeth's hands as she started to flip through it. He thought about the war once again, his father's reanimated corpse fighting alongside him in their tailed beast forms, helping Naruto get some near-fatal blows on Obito. He knew that Minato was his father and that he was a strong and smart shinobi, but that was it actually. After Madara was defeated, all of the revived shinobi crumbled back into dirt, his father included. He hardly got to know the man.

"Annabeth." His voice was softer and carried weight in it that hadn't been there before. She looked at him curiously, seeing him look at the book longingly. "C-Could I see that?"

"Of course," she said, handing Naruto the book. Annabeth watched as he took it carefully, as though it could turn into dust as soon as he touched it. His brows furrowed as he looked at the lines in the book. He flipped through the pages, the same confused look on his face.

"I...I can't read this," he said. Annabeth immediately gained a look of understanding.

"It's in Ancient Greek," she said. "I could teach you how to read it."

"Really?" Naruto asked, a bit surprised. His smile became splitting it was so wide. "Thanks Annabeth!"

"Let's go to a table and we'll start off with the alphabet," said Annabeth, going to one of the work tables covered in papers, strategies of old kings and generals from different eras spread across it, cleaning it a bit to make some room for them.

"...This is going to take a while isn't it?" Naruto asked, a bit hesitant to begin a 'class'. He leaned his staff against a wall by the bunks and quickly joined her by the table.

"Well yeah, it's not like you can just learn Ancient Greek in a day," said Annabeth with a snort. "You have to put in hours of effort, it could take months before you could read Ancient Greek without struggling. Usually year round campers get it down in their first year."

"...Months, huh?" Naruto asked, dropping the journal on the desk. He lifted his hands into his favorite – or coined, depending on who you asked – seal. "**Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**"

Annabeth covered her face with her arms as smoke suddenly exploded around her, and she cut through it with her knife getting a popping sound. When the smoke fully cleared, her eyes widened as filling the room to the brim with Naruto duplicates, all grinning at her. There was even one hanging from the rafters of the cabin by his feet, while about half of them had claimed the bunks to the side as seats. The rest were either seated atop the bookshelves or standing around her with their arms crossed or their hands on their hips.

"Wha-What is this?" Annabeth asked.

"My favorite jutsu!" A Naruto, hopefully the original, said with a blinding grin. "The Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, a forbidden A-rank jutsu that lets me make 'shadow clones' of myself from my chakra. I'm my own army and the best part is, every experience a clone gets before it dispels I retain for myself!"

"You lucky jerk...And they're corporeal," said Annabeth, poking one of the clones in the chest, making him bat away her hand with a smirk. She frowned at it and punched it in the arm, making it pop and making her gasp in surprise.

"Oh, yeah, but they're extremely fragile," said Naruto with a chuckle, his clones grinning while in the back a couple of clones broke into a fight. They dispelled each other and Naruto rubbed the bridge of his nose. "They're insubordinate, too. Idiots."

"Cloned from the best!" One chirped before another dispelled it with a hard punch. Naruto smirked at his clones before looking back at the awed Annabeth.

"Do you know what I would do to be able to do something like this?" Annabeth asked him. "Can you teach me?"

"Yeah, see...it's forbidden for a reason," said Naruto, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly while some of the clones began to flip through the books on the shelves, able to read the English texts. "The technique costs so much chakra that it would kill anyone with less than jonin level reserves. Lucky for me, I've got at least two Kage's worth on my own. Heck, this batch barely cost an tenth of my reserves."

Annabeth just sat down and rubbed her head as she took this all in. From what she read from her mother's journal about Minato, chakra had to be trained from a young age in order to be used. It allowed the mortals of the moving continent, or the Isle of Letoides as it was once called before it expanded in size, to do amazing feats, but this...she never expected a legacy of all people to have the ability to learn as fast as he wanted to. And being a son of Aphrodite, Naruto was attractive naturally, and already there were whispers around the camp, so went the gossip at her table from her sisters, about him. If it ever got out that he could fill the camp with clones of himself...Poor guy would never be left alone.

"So what do you want us to do?" Naruto asked, breaking Annabeth from that line of thought. She looked around at the expectant and curious blonds looking at her, making her smirk and stand up.

"Alright, on the bookshelf is several copies of Ancient Greek for beginner books, lets get started on that," said Annabeth. The clones immediately looked to the others swarming the bookshelves and Naruto sheepishly scratched the back of his head.

"Guess they were a step ahead of you," he said with a chuckle.

After an hour of the beginner books, Naruto had the basics down, though he nearly collapsed from the information intake when the clones dispelled all at once. Annabeth guessed that made sense, considering that the human – and demigod – brain could only handle so much at a time. They ended the lesson there, Annabeth a bit hesitant to do any more despite Naruto's urging. She wanted to see how he did with his chosen weapon anyway on the training field. The second she said the word 'training', Naruto's eyes lit up excitedly. The blond moved so fast he didn't wait for Annabeth to finish telling him where to go.

She managed to catch up with him and show him to the sparring grounds where a couple of brutish kids were. They all had the same Camp Half-Blood shirt on but over that wore camouflaged jackets. Off to the side was a girl dressed in the same manner with a spear in hand, watching two of the guys roll around on the ground. She looked up at their arrival.

"What's up, Owl-head?" she said, smirking at Annabeth. Naruto knew it was a derogatory name, but from the smirk and her posture could tell she meant it all in good fun. Reminded him of Sasuke calling him Dobe or himself calling the jerk Teme.

"Nothing much, Clarisse," Annabeth said. She gestured to him. "This is Naruto Uzumaki, new counselor of Cabin Ten. Naruto, this is Clarisse LaRue, counselor of Cabin Five."

"...Ares, right?" Naruto asked. Clarisse's smirk grew.

"Not bad for a newbie. Time for initiation?" she asked, a bit eager to go for it.

"No, Clarisse," said Annabeth, shaking her head. "I just want to see how good he is with his weapon."

"A Bo staff?" Clarisse asked, looking at the long stick Naruto held in one hand and rested on his shoulder. She smirked. "Not a spear or a sword?"

"Spears have a tip that's off balance and my best friend back home has a sword for his shtick." Naruto said with a shrug. There was a familiar shriek and Naruto looked up as Miu swooped in and landed on his unoccupied shoulder. "I was wondering where you were."

Miu crooned once more as he rubbed his finger under her beak, all the while Clarisse and Annabeth watched the interaction in confusion.

"What's with the bird?" Clarisse asked, getting an insulted cry from Miu.

"Hush Miu, she didn't mean anything by it." Naruto said, calming the eagle. "Miu is a-"

"Golden eagle," said Annabeth, looking at the bird of prey with interest.

"Well, yeah, but I was gonna say she's a friend," said Naruto with a grin while Miu gave him a small croon for his soft stroke along her beak. "She sorta got attached to me while Billy and I were coming to camp."

"It could be a sign from Zeus," said Annabeth quietly, trying to figure out why the King of Olympus' sacred bird was with Naruto.

"Nah, she would've told Billy something on our way here," said Naruto looking at his eagle with a grin. "She just decided to come along for the ride. Right, Miu?" Miu cried out again, making him chuckle. He may not know what she said exactly, but he got the gist of it from the feelings in her voice. He looked back at Annabeth with his grin still in place. "So are we going to do this or what?"

"Sure, let's just-"

"Hold on there, Owl-head," said Clarisse, cutting Annabeth off and getting their attention. "I think I should test the new guy. He is taking Silena's job you know."

"Clarisse, I don't think-"

"Who's Silena?" Naruto asked, blinking. Both of the girls looked at him like he was in the process of growing a second head before Clarisse's eyes narrowed.

"Silena Beauregard was the best counselor that Cabin Ten ever had and was one of the biggest heroes of the Second Titanomachy," said Clarisse, her voice dangerously stern. "That bitch _Drew_ was not worthy of taking her job and now I want to see if you are, blondie. Right now, you're teetering to the side of _not_ being worthy. I don't care what Billy said you did to that Hydra."

Naruto blinked at that and grinned at the challenge. "I'll show you that I am, and when we're done, you can tell me more about Silena. She sounds awesome!"

"You should probably get ready to sweat and bleed, Blondie," said Clarisse, gesturing to his jacket and the shirt he was wearing. Naruto looked down at his jacket with conflicting emotions before shrugging. He could always just sew it back together.

"I'm good," he said, taking his necklace off and holding it out to Annabeth. "Mind holding this for me though? It's...sentimental."

"Sure," said Annabeth, taking the necklace for him while Miu took to the sky.

"Clarisse is gonna fight the new guy!" cried out from a member of Cabin Five. The fighting kids gathered around them on either side of the two, and Annabeth stepped back to join them while Miu landed on the branch of a tree not too far away. There was a bit of chattering and Naruto saw familiar faces from his cabin joining up with members of Clarisse's. Malcolm and a few of his siblings joined the circle as the word quickly spread, surprising Naruto at that. He also noticed there were a whole lot of other girls gathered around his sisters, making him blink in surprise and wonder whose children they were.

Deciding to put those thoughts aside, Naruto rolled his neck and gripped his Bo staff at the center with both hands, twisting and separating it while Clarisse pointed her spear at him. Naruto twirled his two baton-like staves in his hand before settling in a stance with one pointed at Clarisse while the other was parallel with his head, keeping the pointed edges in from his opponent. There was nothing but the soft chanting of Clarisse's name from her cabin mates and a few others, one sounded suspiciously like Drew. Naruto took a deep breath before his eyes hardened and he shot backward to compensate for Clarisse's charge.

Sidestepping the thrust aimed at his midsection, Naruto used his right baton to knock her spear down into the dirt and his left to deliver a swift strike to her shoulder. Clarisse hissed, retreating and rolling her shoulder to relax it while they circled each other. Naruto used his batons to deflect small jabs sent at his head and body, getting a few whispers from the crowd.

"Stop pussyfooting around and someone draw blood already!" shouted a guy in the crowd. Clarisse's eyes hardened at that and she once more thrust forward, which Naruto sidestepped again, but he failed to avoid the sudden blow across the face from the other end of her spear. Naruto rolled with it, quickly getting back to his feet while moving his jaw around to make sure nothing was broken. That was going to bruise.

"How'd you like that one, blondie?" Clarisse asked with a smirk.

"My friend Sakura hits harder than you," said Naruto absentmindedly, though Clarisse still took it as an insult considering the feminine name he used.

"Are you saying I hit like a girl?!"

"...Yes?"

"You're dead!" Clarisse said, charging at him and stabbing her spear right at his head. Naruto yelped, wondering what he said wrong, as he ducked and dodged out of the way of her spear. He dodged too soon in one instance, allowing Clarisse to once more strike out with the other end of her spear and get Naruto right in the gut. Naruto's eyes went wide and he fell to his knees with a gasp as the air was forced out of him. That was definitely a Sakura-like hit. He coughed and used his left stave to get back to his feet, ducking under a side-swipe of Clarisse's spear and stumbling back as she did a swipe back in the way it came.

There was a sound of tearing fabric and Naruto looked down to see his shirt sliced open, revealing his stomach. There was a catcall and a few whistles that came from behind Clarisse, making her drop her focus on him for one second to use her peripheral vision in an effort to determine where that came from. Naruto used this distraction to his advantage by getting inside Clarisse's defense. He used his left stave to keep her spear down and out of his way while bringing the right up over his shoulder and then swinging it, cracking Clarisse across the face hard enough to send her to the ground.

Naruto had his staves at his side while he panted, raising them up on his guard while Clarisse got to her feet, rubbing the left side of her jaw. She moved her jaw much like he did his own when he got hit before she turned to the side and spat out a tooth. She looked back at the blond son of Aphrodite, who stepped away from her spear and thus from her while staying in his defensive stance.

"...Not bad, Blondie." Clarisse said, picking her spear up with a savage grin on her face while a bit of blood came from the corner of her mouth. She twisted part of the spear and the head crackled to life caked in red electricity.

"...That's so cool," said a grinning Naruto. His grin fell. "Oh...You're going to use that on me, aren't you?"

"Yep."

"...Well, shit."

Naruto was once more put on the defensive, avoiding the head of Clarisse's spear while it was thrusted in his direction again and again. More tears were added to his shirt, which he could honestly care less about, but a few that nicked his arms made him groan in annoyance. His jacket was totally going to get shredded or burnt.

"Time out, time out!" Naruto said, jumping back from Clarisse's spear.

"No time outs, surrender!"

"C'mon, just let me take my jacket off! I love this thing!"

"Not happening, Blondie!"

"What happened to common courtesy?!" Naruto asked as he slid out of the way of another thrust that nicked the carving on his left arm. "Oi! That tears it!"

He crouched low to the ground before jumping up, making the demigods watching crane their necks up high as he did. Miu let out a cry and took off after him, their height hidden by the fluffy white clouds passing overhead. A second passed before Miu returned, in her talons held carefully was the orange jacket Naruto was vehement about getting to safety. She dropped it in Lacy's arms before returning to her perch. Clarisse ignored the eagle, keeping her eye on the sky and waiting patiently.

A minute ticked by and she scowled. How high did he jump? How the heck did he even manage to jump that high? There was another cry and another eagle flew down to land on a branch opposite of Miu. Clarisse felt her eye twitch in annoyance.

"Come down here you freaking coward!"

"Well, since you asked so nicely." Clarisse swiveled around to look behind her but saw nothing aside from the crowd and Miu perched on the branch. Clarisse turned around again, searching for him. This turned out to be her downfall.

She heard a pop, the crowd gasp, her name called by her cabin mates, and then felt something blunt strike her upside her head. Clarisse fell forward as her vision went dark, catching herself on her knees and going still when a pointed end of Naruto's stave was held at her throat.

"I win." Naruto said with a grin from where he stood next to Clarisse.

"...The **Henge no Jutsu**." Annabeth said under her breath. He had disguised himself as the first Miu to land, while the other waited before landing on the other side of the circle. When Clarisse had her back on him, he took advantage and got her pinned. It was truly a strategy worthy of Athena.

"...How the hell did you do all of that?" Clarisse asked when he lowered his stave from her neck. Naruto put his weapons back into their Bo staff form and grinned at her.

"Ninja moves," he said, getting a frown from Clarisse. He yelped when she socked him in the arm.

"That was for saying I hit like a girl," she said.

"But Sakura hits really hard!" Naruto said with a whine, rubbing his arm. "She can break boulders with her punches..."

"...Oh..." Clarisse said with a sheepish smile. "Sorry."

"It's no big deal." Naruto said, shrugging. He looked down at his shirt and frowned. "Was all that necessary? This literally is the only shirt I have."

While Clarisse prepared a smartass reply, Naruto pulled his long sleeved shirt off, getting an even louder whistle from his sister Lacy. The daughter of Ares gaped at his spontaneous decision to strip and, regrettably, admired his form. His abs were worked to the point you could probably chisel diamonds on them and his pecs were large enough for her hand to fit in. His shoulders were as big as her fist and his arms were at least twenty two inches around. He was definitely _not_ built like a son of Aphrodite that was for sure.

"Man..." Naruto's voice broke many girls from their staring. He was looking over his torn shirt with a frown. "It's gonna take at least thirty minutes to fix all of these holes. And my jacket."

"Naruto, you could always just get a camp shirt from the camp store," said Annabeth, shaking her head in amusement. He had to be talking about sewing, which is something he had to have gotten from Athena. Naruto looked at her with a blink before he grinned.

"There's a camp store? Cool!" he said, beaming as he folded his shirt up and threw it over his shoulder. Miu landed on his shirt-covered shoulder, making Naruto chuckle as he followed his aunt to where the camp store was. Aphrodite's cabin swiftly followed, intent on helping their brother look good while the crowd dispersed, a lot of the girls watching gossiping about the new hottie.

Clarisse's cabin mates walked over to her, her second-in-command Mark smirking at her.

"So Clarisse...should we warn Chris he may have some competition from the new guy?"

"Shut up, Mark!"

Naruto was absolutely giddy as he walked out of the camp store, completely oblivious about the furious blush that was on the face of the poor cashier from when he walked in. The camp shirt was _orange_. He could honestly die happy now...Well, maybe not now since that would leave Drew in charge again, but that's not the point he's trying to make. Sure it was a bit tight, but his sisters said it was better that way. He really wished they had fishnet armor, though.

When he had asked for where he could get some armor he was told to go to Hephaestus' cabin, who he recalled were technically his step-siblings considering his mother's marriage to Hephaestus. He was curious about them, especially when Annabeth told his gossiping sisters to stop talking about some 'curse' that was on their cabin. Mitchell explained it, talking about the death of the last counselor, Silena's boyfriend, Charles Beckendorf, being the cause of it.

So now, there he went, off to satisfy his curiosity with complete disregard for the camp schedule that Annabeth was trying to get him to stick to.

"Naruto, c'mon you want to be a good cabin counselor, don't you?" Annabeth asked as she followed him.

"Well yeah, but I also want to see Hephaestus' cabin and meet his kids. They're supposed to be my brothers and sisters right?" Naruto asked as he looked up at the soaring Miu, who was keeping an eye on him from above. That bird really did not like him being out of her sight.

"By technicality, yeah I guess, but they're only your step-siblings." Annabeth said. "And your mom and Hephaestus don't really get along well."

"No, really?" Naruto asked sarcastically. Even he figured that out. How his mom managed to grow up as a Jinchuriki while being a goddess, Naruto wasn't sure, but he did know through their word and through Konohan law that Kushina Uzumaki was married to Minato Namikaze, even if she didn't take his name. He was pretty sure that Hephaestus would've smote his father, demigod or not, for marrying Aphrodite if they were that close. That didn't mean Naruto didn't feel bad for the guy, though.

"Hey, watch the sarcasm, buddy."

"Sorry Anna-baba."

"What did I say about calling me that?!"

"Something about not in public or something, I dunno." He shrugged and walked up the steps to the machine oriented cabin. Raising his fist, Naruto banged on the metal door and waited patiently before it creaked and pulled open. The girl that opened it was pretty, a lot like the other girls in the camp, but not in a way like his sisters were. She was more like an experienced kunoichi, like Tenten or Temari, with a hard face that was accented by soft curves instead of angles. Her skin was mocha colored and she had dark hair held back by a red bandanna.

"Hi!" Naruto said with a grin and a raised hand while she stared at him. His eyes shut as he continued to friendly grin at his stepsister, thus making him miss the small lick of her lips while her eyes worked up and down his body. Annabeth cleared her throat, making both of them look at her, in Naruto's case with a confused look while the girl looked annoyed.

"Hi, Nyssa." Annabeth said, an amused smile on her face at the girl, Nyssa's, annoyed look. "This is Naruto Uzumaki, new counselor of Cabin Ten. He wants to meet Jake."

"Of course he is," said Nyssa, sounding a bit disappointed. She smiled back at Naruto, once again reminding him of Temari or Tenten with the confidence she had behind it. "Name's Nyssa, come on. I'll take you to Jake."

"I'll be back at the cabin then, Naruto. You should go talk to Chiron when you're done here to get a schedule," said Annabeth, shaking her head.

"Okay." Naruto said with a grin as she walked off, before walking in and looking around at the steam pipes that made the cabin sweltering hot. "Whoa, you guys really are the smith god's kids, aren't you?"

"And don't you forget it, blondie," said Nyssa, smirking. She opened a door and Naruto nearly burst into pools of sweat then and there, finding the main forges of the camp. Several guys and a couple of girls were gathered around a table, one guy pointing at something on it. Nyssa whistled, making them look up. She nodded in Naruto's direction. "Jake, the new cabin counselor wants to meet you."

"Okay, he's met me," said the guy that was pointing at the table, assumed to be Jake. "He does know we're in the middle of working on our problem, right?"

"Problem?" Naruto asked, walking into the room. Nyssa lingered behind him a bit, but came up to his side when he stopped. He held a hand out. "Naruto Uzumaki, Cabin Ten."

"You're the guy that was at the top of the hill, right?" Jake asked, taking his hand and shaking it in a firm grip. "The one crying about his calluses?"

"...Shut up." Naruto said with a pout as he took his hand back.

"Oh, I think we're going to get along just fine." Jake said with a small laugh. "Wish I could talk some more, but we've kind of got a problem to deal with."

"Can I help?" Naruto asked. Jake smirked at him and clapped him on the arm.

"Not unless you know how a converter connects to a socket." He said.

"Uh..."

"Don't worry about it," said Jake. "It's the thought that counts. We really need to get back to work on this though."

"Alright, well if you need help let me know," said Naruto. He put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "I guess I'll go talk to Chiron and get a schedule."

"Hey while you're there can you tell him we'll probably be in the forest again?" Jake asked. Naruto nodded, making the counselor grin. "Thanks."

"No problem." Naruto said with a smile. Nyssa led him back out of the cabin and inviting him back whenever he needed some work done. Naruto just grinned as he left Cabin Nine, looking at Miu as she landed on her perch on his shoulder. "Cabin Nine is awesome, Miu. Especially Nyssa, she's pretty cool for someone who deals with so much heat."

Naruto enjoyed a calm walk to the Big House, shaking his head in amusement at the ridiculous name the building had. He really hoped one of the kids of an older generation called it that, because the last thing Naruto needed was some god getting on his back about laughing at their building's name. Miu seemed to really enjoy the camp from what Naruto could feel through his empathy. What kind of bummed Naruto out though was his lack of interaction with Billy. Seriously, he felt ditched.

Brushing off the feeling of being ditched, Naruto took his surroundings in, watching the campers as they 'trained'. Now, Naruto wasn't Rock Lee or Maito Gai, but he did way more than the campers did. This felt like, well, it felt like it was aptly named: a camp. Maybe Naruto could introduce these guys to some real training. He wondered what the hand-to-hand was like and if it could keep up with his Gama-Ken.

"Naruto!" Well, if it wasn't the goat that ditched him. Naruto grinned as Billy came up alongside him, a grin on his face while he wore the same orange shirt. Miu squawked at him and Billy chuckled. "No, I didn't forget you, Miu. You guys liking camp so far?"

"It's amazing," said Naruto with a grin. He frowned. "You didn't tell me that Percy Jackson went missing."

"Oh...yeah, well...I figured he was at home with his mom," said Billy. "He isn't a year rounder so I didn't really hear much other than he wasn't in his cabin when I left for New York."

"You also didn't tell me about Silena Beauregard or Charles Beckendorf."

"Okay, that was my bad. I was more concerned with the fact that you're a sage," Billy said. "For a satyr that's like meeting a demigod of Pan...May he rest in peace."

Naruto nodded in agreement, recalling the tale of Pan and his unfortunate death. He would've liked to meet the original Sage. As he thought that, Naruto wondered who the _father_ of the Old Sage was. Knowing that gods and demigods existed raised a lot of questions for the grandson of Athena.

"Come on, Grover and Chiron want to talk to you." Billy said, making Naruto arch a brow and follow the young satyr up into the large farmhouse. Billy led Naruto through the building to the back porch where the other satyr from before and Chiron were playing a game of cards.

"Grover, if you try to eat your hand again, I'm going to pull out the pinnacle chips. Honestly, the one good thing that came from the Recall was the freedom to play whatever game I wanted," said Chiron, giving a stern look to the dark haired satyr.

"Sorry," Grover said sheepishly looking up with the board creaked under Billy's hoof. "Oh hey Billy!"

"Hi Grover," said Billy, beaming a grin at his 'hero'. He nodded respectfully at Chiron. "Chiron."

"William," said Chiron, getting a groan from the satyr. The centaur noticed the blond behind him and smiled. "Ah, Mr. Uzumaki. Welcome to the Big House. Annabeth told me you'd be coming by, something about not going by a schedule."

"Well...you know, being new and all," said Naruto with a sheepish chuckle.

"True, I may have rushed that. I planned to catch you after lunch, but you rushed off before I could," said Chiron, he then nodded to the eagle still on Naruto's shoulder. "I see your friend hasn't left yet."

"Yeah, Miu's a real sweetie. Right Miu?" Naruto asked with a smile to the bird as he stroked under her beak, getting a croon.

"She really likes you," said Grover in a mumble, lifting a card up to his mouth and dropping it at Chiron's clearing throat. The satyr flushed and set his hand down before he ate it. He looked at Billy, who nodded, and then at Naruto again. "You know...Billy said you were a sage."

"Telling secrets behind my back? I wondered why I sneezed earlier," Naruto said with a smirk.

"Oh come on, they of all people deserve to know," said Billy with a roll of his eyes.

"Are you?" Grover asked seriously. As the Lord of the Wild and the Chosen One of Pan, Grover had to be sure that all things related to nature aside from gods were, well, naturally right. Billy had told him that Naruto, while awed at the advances of humanity, felt sad that so much nature had to be sacrificed for these advances, making Grover skeptical. Not even Percy was that sympathetic with the satyr's cause.

"I am," said Naruto. He grinned. "Let me guess, you want me to show you?"

"If you wouldn't mind?" Chiron asked, admittedly a bit curious. It had been a while since he met a sage, and that was at least fifteen hundred years ago.

"Sure." Naruto said with a shrug. It wasn't like he had anything better to do, and it was always refreshing to meditate.

He moved to the railing of the big house and took a seat on it. Like so many times before, Naruto crossed his legs and let his hands fall into his lap. Within seconds, being so close to the Lord of the Wild had its benefits, Naruto was in sage mode, getting wide eyes from Grover and Chiron. Miu cried out again, settling onto her roost on Naruto's shoulder as nature embraced him. Behind him satyrs, dryads and animals came out of the woods to look at the blond.

"I don't believe it," said Chiron, not as affected by Naruto's presence as the rest of the nature spirits in camp. The campers soon gathered as well, wondering why the dryads and satyrs were gathered around the blond. Demeter's children soon became a part of the group, their own connection with trees and crops letting them get a taste for what the spirits felt. Pollux, the only son of Dionysus, also stepped forward, absentmindedly making strawberries grow around planks that made up the deck of the Big House.

Naruto finally exhaled, breaking the spell he didn't mean to have over the ones most affected by nature, opening his eyes and smiling at the squirrels that curled up in his hands. He looked at Grover, Billy and then Chiron before releasing his connection with nature, causing the animals to scatter, getting some surprised sounds from the campers as they moved out of the way of the retreating horde of forest critters. His once again blue eyes landed on Grover again when the satyr started to speak.

"That...was amazing," said Grover, smiling at the blond and wiping away a tear. "I never thought that a human could understand what satyrs do. Don't get me wrong, the campers try, but they're still humans. Thanks Naruto."

"No problem," said Naruto with a grin as he hopped down from his seat.

"Didn't I tell you?" Billy asked with a grin. "A real sage."

"Well, perhaps power wise, but there is more to being a sage than just power," said Chiron.

"What?" Naruto asked. The Toads said he was a sage. He ate all the bugs and everything that Ma cooked! ...Well okay, maybe he didn't eat that stink bug but could you really blame him?

"A sage also needs knowledge, wisdom to guide others to follow their teachings." Chiron said. "Knowledge is one of the most important tools a sage has at his disposal."

"But he's a legacy of Athena, no brainer there, Chiron." Grover said, getting the trainer to nod.

"Yes, but a sage is so much more then 'knowledge', Grover. Knowledge is a broad spectrum after all," said Chiron. He looked to Naruto with a smile. "Mr. Uzumaki, I believe you could be a true sage with the right help. I would like to offer you that help."

"What things would you teach me?" Naruto asked, curious.

"Different flora, proper applications of herbs, ways of the world as a sage would know it, philosophy and other things like that," said Chiron.

"I don't know about philosophy, but the satyrs can help with herbs, flora and fauna," said Grover, Billy nodding in agreement where he stood. Naruto looked behind him at the gathered satyrs, dryads and campers and then looked at Miu, who remained settled in her roost on his shoulder. She looked at him intently, her head inclining slightly in almost a nod. He looked back at the three looking at him expectantly with a smile.

"Well with all the eyes on me, how could I say no?" Naruto said with a small laugh. He smiled softly when the trainer of heroes nodded and the satyrs high-fived, remembering the Old Man Sage. Yeah...he could see why ninshu was worth studying if it brought people together like this.

Weeks passed and Naruto fell into a comfortable routine at camp. Taking care of his siblings was the first thing he focused on. Making his sisters train was no easy manner, he nearly pulled his hair out whenever they rebuffed his reasons as to why they should. When it finally came time to talk about his homeland and show them pictures that appeared in a small box at the Big House, Naruto found their motivation by showing pictures of his friends. He laughed when Gaara and Sasuke ended up on the "wall of hotties", poor bastards better never come visit or else they'll get swarmed. His brothers, on the other hand, were very easy to motivate. He simply said that it'll make them look a little less girly and they were all for it. They loved the way they looked, yes, but they weren't _that_ narcissistic.

The second thing he would focus on would be his lessons with Annabeth or Malcolm when Annabeth was checking on Percy's mother. Naruto went with her once and felt horrible that something so bad could happen to a woman as kind as Sally Jackson. Learning about clear sighted mortals was a lot of fun and hearing stories about her life before meeting Percy's father, Poseidon, was genuinely interesting. He made it a point to join Annabeth at least once a week when she went to visit, if only to get a better understanding of the life of someone connected to their world that _wasn't_ a demigod.

According to Grover and Chiron, it was a great exercise of his empathy and understanding of the human mind. While his understanding of Ancient Greek was coming along faster than the average demigod, his lessons with the satyrs about nature and the ways of the world today were going much better. Though for some reason the satyrs grumbled at him after the dryads would stop by to ask him some questions. Except for Grover and Billy, they just laughed it off.

Finally came his training as a sage. Chiron took full advantage of the **Kage Bunshin**, putting clones to work at studying the texture and images of various flora that could be found around the world...or in Cabin Four's greenhouse, same difference. Chiron said he was one of the quickest learners he had in the subject and Naruto wasn't sure if he was joking or not. He really felt some great respect for the original sages if they had to work so hard for what they did.

Aside from those four primary parts of his time there, Naruto had a blast at the camp. He sparred with Clarisse and the rest of Cabin Five, quickly becoming a big source of entertainment in the camp by the size of the crowd, wondering how he would win or what jutsu he would use. It was only a matter of time before other cabins asked him for help, and that was when he met the members of Cabin Eleven, the children of Hermes and their 'guests', demigods under the age of thirteen that were unclaimed by their parents. Oh the fun he had with Hermes' kids, the pranks they devised...it was so fun.

Miu quickly became a big mascot of the camp, despite sticking to him every day, even going as far as to make a nest on the window closest to his bed. At least she didn't bite the other members of his cabin, unless they were being particularly 'rude'. She also helped Naruto claim the win for the Capture the Flag game between Cabin Ten and Cabin Nine. Though they were quickly rushed out of the forest for some reason after the game ended, particularly after there was a rusty sounding roar coming from the forest.

It was the sixteenth of December according to the modern calendar and Naruto was basking in the warm 'summer' heat, relaxing on the beach after another rather routine day. Well, it was routine without Annabeth, who had been extremely jumpy for the past three days. She just up and left one day with Cabin Seven's chariot and Butch in tow, since he was one of the best Pegasi riders they had.

Let it be known that Naruto never felt more bad for another man when he discovered that. Being the son of the goddess of rainbows _and_ being the best Pegasus riders? That was pretty much the exact opposite of masculine. Though Naruto did his best to hide the pity he felt whenever he and Butch talked, trying to sympathize as a fellow sufferer.

No matter what he did, he could never get a unanimous vote to paint the interior of the cabin.

At least he got himself and his brothers some 'regular' sheets to sleep in. Even Drew agreed to that vote, so that said quite a bit of the impact he had there. She had even started to stop using her charmspeak on their siblings, so progress was being made. That was a good thing, considering Naruto was getting tired of stopping her charmed victims from doing whatever chore she had told them to do for her. He would retaliate by making Drew take the garbage out and wear the Shoes of Shame or whatever the hell they were called. It was stupid, but effective.

So there he was, playing fetch with Miu on the beach that was within the camp borders. It was a spur of the moment decision to teach Miu to play fetch, and it was even easier than Naruto anticipated. It quickly became Miu's favorite game, catching whatever Naruto threw and bringing it back in her talons, dropping it in his hand and then landing on his shoulder or at his side. Considering how he was lounging on the beach, she decided to land next to him, which he was grateful for. Miu's talons were sharp.

"Alright, catch it before it hits the water Miu and you get a treat," said Naruto, holding up a stick and tossing it to the side as hard as he could, making the stick go flying. Miu released a cry and flapped her wings to get off of the ground before shooting after it. She snatched it seconds before it touched the water, but dropped it and swiftly returned to Naruto's shoulder as he sat up. His eyes were on the falling object heading for the beach. He grabbed his staff buried in the ground next to him and got to his feet, separating it and preparing himself for a fight while Cabin Seven came to the beach with their bows at the ready.

The object turned out to be Butch and Annabeth in Cabin Seven's now destroyed chariot, their Pegasi already galloping for the stables while Butch chased after it. Will Solace, the counselor of Cabin Seven and a very good medic Naruto met after inquiring about modern medicine – considering all he knew about was medical jutsu, and that was limited – lowered his bow as Annabeth walked forward with three other teens around her age.

"Annabeth, come on, I said you could borrow the chariot, not destroy it!"

"Will I'm sorry, but it was an emergency. I'll get it fixed."

Naruto ignored their conversation, looking over the newcomers with interest as he locked his staff back into place. One was a teen nearly as tall and as built as he was, blond much like himself, but with electric blue eyes that had a look of confusion and wary in them. Next to him was a girl of what he was told to be Native American descent, she was pretty, arguably as pretty as his sisters making Naruto wonder if she was one. And finally came the short teen – and there was sympathy from Naruto, being the runt of the class himself – with tanned skin, and features much like Naruto's friends in Cabin Eleven, aside from the curly dark hair.

And the fiery hammer above his head...Huh, so he had a new step-brother.

Cool.

* * *

**Figured I would give you guys something to read. Hope this tides you over!**

**Review!**


	4. The New Campers

**Disclaimer: You all know it by now, so stop complaining.**

**Co-Written by Engineer4Ever**

**Fils de l'Amour: The Lost Hero**

**Chapter 4: The New Campers**

* * *

Naruto watched in amusement as the short demigod tried to avoid being set on fire by his claiming, moving his head around while his symbol followed with ease. The poor kid thought his head was on fire by the light. Admittedly, that's a better reaction than Naruto's. He still doesn't have his calluses back, dammit. Like his mother is purposely keeping him from getting them.

Not cool, Mom.

"The symbol of Vulcan..." said the new blond guy distractedly.

"Vulcan? What like Star Trek? Dude, I hate that show!"

"You mean Hephaestus," said Annabeth to the blond. She nodded to Naruto, who nodded back as he stepped forward. His movement gained the newcomers' attention, prompting him to smile at them welcomingly.

"Hi there!" He said, raising his left hand since Miu was perched on his right shoulder and his staff was in the adjacent hand. "In case Annabeth hasn't already done so, welcome to Camp Half-Blood."

"Well aren't you chipper? Will someone kill the light already?" the claimed boy asked.

"It'll fade away in a bit," said Naruto with a smile. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki." Miu shrieked and he looked at her apologetically. "Sorry. And this is my friend Miu. She's been with me ever since I came to camp."

To the newcomers, the eagle seemed to puff her chest out in pride at that claim. She looked over each of them like her species should, as a predator. Her gaze met the blond boy across from her before looking to the girl standing next to him. She then weighed the new member of Cabin Nine with a gaze. Miu cocked her head slightly before shrieking again and flying off, making Naruto hum in curiosity of what she was doing.

He laughed when she flew over his head and dropped the stick he had thrown in front of him. She landed on his shoulder and he smiled at her. "I did promise you a treat and you did catch it before they showed up."

"Will, it's good that you're here," said Annabeth, capturing the newcomers' attentions once more. She put a hand on the blond's shoulder. "This is Jason, he's got some kind of amnesia. I need you to take him to Chiron for me."

"I'll do it." Naruto looked over at Drew as he gave Miu a small piece of meat he kept in a pouch hanging from his jeans' belt loop. She had eyes for Jason, and that really upset the other girl, from what Naruto could tell of how she felt.

"Drew." Naruto's voice seemed to make her go tense and frown. "Let Will take, Jason?" Annabeth nodded and Naruto shook his head at yet another strange name. "Let Will take Jason to Chiron."

"But Naruto-!"

"Drew." Naruto was stern as he addressed the charmspeaker of his cabin. He was very lenient at times, like when it came to lights out, but when it came to the health of others he didn't take any chances. Naruto nodded at her backing down while giving him a small scowl, returning his attention to the blond just a bit shorter than himself. "Go with Will, he and Chiron should be able to help you with your problem."

"...Thanks." Jason said, getting a nod from the sage-in-training. The girl that was standing next to him looked like she wanted to follow him, but stayed where she was with a glare locked on Drew, one that was returned full force. Naruto sighed at that before meeting Annabeth's gaze.

"I'll take Piper," she said, nodding to the girl exchanging glares with Drew.

"Alright, then I'll take the new son of Hephaestus. C'mon, kid." Naruto said, turning on his heel and walking from the beach to the south, in the opposite direction that Will and Jason had gone. As he passed her, Naruto put his hand on Drew's shoulder. "Don't start anything, Drew. Please?"

"...Fine." Drew said with a frown. Naruto nodded and turned back to the new son of Hephaestus, waving him to come along. They left the beach behind, Naruto using his staff as a walking stick though he didn't need to.

"The name's Leo Valdez," the newcomer said as soon as he caught up to the blond sage-in-training. "Not kid."

"Well, you weren't forthcoming with your name. It was better than saying 'hey you!'" Naruto said with a chuckle.

"...Yeah, okay." Leo said, rolling his eyes. He looked at the taller blond with an arched brow. "So what was with the light show?"

"A claiming," said Naruto. "I assume Annabeth told you about demigods and stuff like that."

"Yeah, but I thought she was kidding," said Leo. He shook his head. "Man, what government agency is keeping this top secret?"

"Not any." Naruto said. "The camp is protected by the gods, there is a boundary and a safeguard against mortal eyes called the Mist, controlled by the goddess Hecate."

"Uh-huh. What next, there are magical fairies...?" Leo's voice died in his throat as a girl around his age came out of the tree just ahead of them, walking up to Naruto with a smile on her face.

"Naruto, Grover wanted me to tell you that he'll be at the Big House to help Chiron."

Naruto smiled back at her. "Thanks Juniper. Oh and thanks for the extra rations for Miu today."

"Not a problem," she said, looking at the eagle as it crooned at her. "Such a sweetie deserves a treat."

"Oh don't say that, she'll get fat in two places: her head and her belly." Naruto said, getting Juniper to laugh. Leo just continued to stare at them, catching Juniper's attention. Naruto gestured to him. "This is Leo Valdez, new arrival and a member of Cabin Nine."

"Really?" Juniper asked, giving him a small sad smile. Leo was trying to come to terms with the girl that just waltzed out of the tree still, so he couldn't say anything. "Uh, how new is he?"

"Literally just got here five minutes ago."

"Wow..." Juniper said with a smile before looking back at Naruto. "I'll see you later for tree treating?"

"Of course, and tell Grover if he needs to call me just to send a rabbit or something," said Naruto with a chuckle. She left back into the tree and Naruto looked at Leo.

"So how's that skepticism going for you?" Naruto asked with a smile.

"...She...was hot."

"Yeah, Juniper is pretty, but she's taken. I'm pretty sure Grover would pelt you with tin cans if you tried anything," said Naruto with a laugh that shook Leo from his stupor.

"How'd she do that?" Leo asked. "Walk in and out of the tree?"

"Juniper is a dryad, a tree spirit." Naruto said. He turned to the campers walking around to their next activity and gestured at them with his staff. "Camp Half-Blood is one of the last sanctuaries for them and satyrs. They help us train and grow as heroes, and in the satyrs' cases, go out into the world to find more like us."

"So...there are more like her?" Leo asked, watching a lot of pretty girls walk by and wave in their direction. He looked at Naruto who was waving back with a small smile and his eyes narrowed in thought.

"There are, but the satyrs, who are faster than demigods at times, can't catch them, so you know. Good luck catching a tree." Naruto said with a smirk. He loved that joke.

"...What's with the different buildings?" Leo asked after they resumed walking.

"Cabins for each of the gods. From Zeus," Naruto said, pointing at the larger of the two large cabins at the edge of the camp, "to Hades." He pointed to a cabin in the opposite direction. "They are the homes to the demigods who stay here."

"What is this place, a summer camp?" Leo asked.

Naruto laughed. "On the nose with that one, Leo. Yes, there are others like us who spend most of the year with their mortal parents, but for kids with nowhere else to go, they stay here year round."

"You mean I could live _here_ year round?" Leo asked, grinning as another pretty girl walked by.

"Hi Naruto." She said with a small wave and a smile.

"Hi Leanne." Naruto said in return, making her smile widen before he looked at Leo. "Your father's cabin is Cabin Nine, which is across from my cabin."

"What is my dad the god of?" Leo asked, full of questions. Like how he could get some of these girls to look his way, but that could come later.

"Hephaestus is the god of the forge and of fire," said Naruto, catching the small stiffening Leo made at the second word. "His children can make amazing things from weapons to vehicles and are experts with machines. Though I still don't know where my staff came from."

Leo looked at the staff curiously. "It's made of bronze?"

"Celestial bronze," said Naruto. "The only material in camp that can fight off monsters, which I'm sure are aware of that exist."

"Yeah, those I know exist," said Leo. That spirit that attacked them in the sky was no joke. And he should know.

"Good. Because you'll probably be making weapons for the rest of the camp to use in case there's an attack...if you can, that is," said Naruto, frowning as he thought about the problem afflicting Cabin Nine.

"Why wouldn't I be able to?" Leo asked.

"I'll let your cabin counselor fill you in." Naruto said with a smirk. He looked to the eagle perched on his shoulder. "Miu, go back to the cabin and wait for me will you? Last thing we need is you to be attacked by another anti-air trap."

At his request, Miu flew off before they got too close to Cabin Nine. Leo watched the eagle fly to the cabin that just screamed girl-power, making him arch a brow and look back at Naruto.

"...Are you part of Butch's cabin?" Leo asked.

"No." Naruto said flatly, glaring at Leo for even insinuating it. He dropped his glare after a moment and sighed. "I'm the counselor of Cabin Ten, Aphrodite's cabin."

"...Aphrodite?" Leo asked.

"Goddess of Love."

Leo started to snicker. "No way. Seriously? First two guys I meet are the sons of the rainbow and love? Wow..."

"You just watch out for when my mom makes your love life a living hell," said Naruto with a frown.

"Yeah, okay," said Leo, snickering.

"Just so you know, I'm technically your older brother."

That stopped all snickering. "What?"

"Hephaestus and Aphrodite are married...You're my new stepbrother," said Naruto with a smirk. "And I'm also related to the goddess of wisdom and war..."

Leo wasn't missing the threat and swallowed. "S-Seriously?"

"Yep, Athena's my grandmother," said Naruto, nodding proudly. He smirked at Leo again. "Love and War is a dangerous combo, kid. Remember that."

"You got it," said Leo, making a mental note not to piss Naruto off too much.

Hearing Leo's understanding made Naruto grin and clap a hand on his shoulder. "Cool. Glad we understand each other. Now c'mon, Jake should be awake right now."

Naruto led Leo closer to the cabin for Hephaestus' children and Leo looked it over, admiring it. "Steampunk much?"

"Steam-what?" Naruto asked with his brows furrowed together in confusion.

"...Steampunk, you know, the theme?" Leo said. Naruto just continued to stare at him in confusion and Leo sighed. "Never mind."

Naruto shook his head and went up the steps, knocking once more on the front door with his fist. They waited for a few seconds before Nyssa opened the door again, her face looking freshly wiped clean. Naruto pushed that thought to the back of his mind, smiling at her in greeting.

"Hey Naruto, did you come to see me?" she asked with a smile. To Leo, she sounded half-serious, but apparently Naruto missed that as he chuckled.

"Partially," he said. His free hand gestured to Leo. "I mostly brought your new brother to his cabin, you should introduce him to Jake before he passes out."

"He just woke up, so he won't mind waiting a bit," said Nyssa, stepping out and offering Leo a hand. "Hey, I'm Nyssa. Nice to meet'cha."

"Leo Valdez." Leo said, taking her hand for a very brief shake before she once more turned to Naruto.

"Are you coming to check on Jake, too?" she asked him.

"Nah, I already did that before lunch and I highly doubt anything's changed in the last two hours," said Naruto. "I've got to get back to my sisters and prepare them for their races with the dryads."

"So you have to offer more stories about your friends back home," said Nyssa, her hands folding behind her as she smiled at him.

"Pretty much." Naruto said with a chuckle. Leo looked between them, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"Well, if you ever need your armor polished you know where to find me." Nyssa said with a coy smile.

Naruto smiled back at her. "Thanks Nyssa, you're always looking out for me."

"Oh believe me, it's my pleasure." Nyssa said, then shocking Leo as she winked at him, making Naruto chuckle again before he turned and left down the steps.

"...Wow that was-" Leo was silenced by a finger being put on his lips.

"Shh, quiet Leo. I'm watching the show." Nyssa said with a small smile and half-lidded eyes as she stared at Naruto. Following her gaze, Leo regretted it and quickly looked away. Why was he surprised that she was checking out his ass? She was flirting with him rather obviously. That made Leo wonder how Naruto missed it. Was he gay or just an idiot? Well, he did say Juniper was pretty, and he seemed a bit simple...Leo was leaning towards Naruto just being an airheaded blond.

Nyssa's finger fell to her side and Leo looked at her, then to where Naruto was, more than halfway away from their cabin. The Latino shook his head and raised his fingers to snap them in front of Nyssa's face. She blinked several times and then gave him an annoyed look.

"What the hell, Leo? I said I was watching the show." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yeah, but the show is pretty much over. You're watching the end credits like there's going to be an extra scene or something ridiculous like that," said Leo dryly.

"You never know! He could get pantsed or something!"

"...I really didn't need to hear that."

* * *

Naruto walked back to his cabin after his lesson with Juniper, catching a glimpse of Annabeth before she disappeared into Hypnos' cabin. He was curious, but it was not really his business, especially if it involved Percy. Did he want to help her? Of course he did, Annabeth was his friend and his aunt, but there was nothing he could genuinely offer to help her with that she hadn't tried already, so he would wait for her to come to him. Something told him that waiting would be the right thing to do. And those gut feelings he had were usually spot on.

Naruto entered his cabin and after leaning his staff against the wall, went to Miu's nest, stroking her head softly as she greeted him.

"Hello, Miu," said Naruto, smiling at his loyal friend. "Did Travis or Conner try to sneak in another golden fruit?"

Miu crooned under his touch and Naruto took her answer empathically to mean no. Nodding in content with that, he took his jacket off and hung it on the edge of his bed, then taking his necklace off and offering it to Miu. She took the cord in her beak and looked at him while he smiled.

"Gonna shower some of this sweat off," he said. He stripped and walked into the shower, relieved that his siblings were still out at their last activity for the day before the campfire so that he could hop in without an issue. He was in and out in five minutes, making him wonder why it took his sisters at least fifteen and his brothers at least ten.

Really, how hard is it to get wet, soap up, and then rinse?

Naruto used a towel to dry off, throwing it over his shoulders as he pulled on a pair of dark shorts made of a flimsy material, basketball shorts Annabeth said they were called. He grabbed a sleeveless version of the camp T-shirt, something Mitchell did with the excuse of "trust me, it'll look good." Naruto honestly didn't care about looking good (jacket and necklace not withstanding) and the stares he got at the campfires when he would wear that shire unnerved him, like he was a piece of meat or something.

Taking his jacket to protect himself from the small chill in the air, Naruto headed out towards the campfire setup, grabbing his staff as he left. Miu followed after him, dropping his necklace into his hand before banking around and landing on the opposite shoulder. Naruto tapped his finger under her beak slightly in thanks before returning his attention forward.

He was pleased to see that he wasn't among the first to arrive, the first two actually being the new unclaimed girl and their resident Oracle. Now _she_ was a character. Red frizzy hair, emerald green eyes and freckles that added to her attractive appeal, Rachel Elizabeth Dare was a very unique girl. When they first met, she playfully complained about her position.

"_Why is it that every good looking guy I meet is untouchable? First Percy, then Luke, and now you. Life is so not fair at times. Oh well, name's Rachel Elizabeth Dare, and I'm the Oracle for you lot._"

Of course, Naruto didn't feel like he was anything special. He was just himself. She gave him a dry look and then said "boys are idiots." He didn't feel like arguing it. More than on one occasion he lost in those kind of arguments...and wound up with another lump on his head.

"Hey there Handsome." Rachel said with a smile as he walked up and sat down on the log next to hers and Piper's.

"Hi Rachel," said Naruto with a smile. He looked to the other newcomer with a grin. "Hello...Piper, right?"

"Yeah," said Piper. She looked at Rachel with a smirk. "Handsome, huh?"

"Duh. You should see his abs." Rachel said. She looked at Naruto's concealed stomach with a leer. "You could grate cheese on them."

"And how did you see my abs?" Naruto asked, a brow arching in amusement.

"Water balloon fight two weeks ago," said Rachel. While he nodded in remembrance, Piper blinked in confusion.

"But...it's December?" Piper said.

"Have you seen snow around us?" Rachel asked. Piper opened and closed her mouth a few times, making Naruto laugh. She pouted at him and crossed her arms.

"Shut up. I'm new to this!" she said.

"Sorry, but that was funny." Naruto said, wiping a small tear from his eyes.

"All I can say is Cabin Eleven did a good thing by challenging you to a water balloon fight." Rachel said with a small leer. She grunted as Annabeth rapped her on the head.

"Let him be, Rachel. Don't you have a 'Hands off' policy?" she asked, sitting down between Rachel and Naruto.

"Doesn't mean I can't window shop." Rachel said with a frown. She crossed her arms. "Honestly, sometimes I wish Apollo was a bit more lenient."

"Funny, since he has the most kids at camp," said Naruto, cupping his chin with a hum.

"Rachel..." Annabeth said warningly. Her nephew was a good guy and practically innocent to all the things Aphrodite's children loved.

"Tch, just have to have all the cute ones, don't you?" Rachel asked with a smirk.

"Shut up."

Piper and Naruto shared a small laugh at the embarrassed flush Annabeth had on her face. It was quiet for a moment, peaceful thankfully and not awkward – Naruto hated awkward silences – until Piper spoke to him.

"So, um, Naruto...whose your parent?" Piper asked.

"That sounds more like a game show question than a real one," said Rachel, getting a glower from Annabeth. Game shows were not her cup of tea. Naruto laughed at Rachel's comment while Piper flushed.

"That would be a fun game to play with kids in Cabin Eleven," he said. Looking at the blushing Piper, Naruto said with a grin. "Cabin Ten."

"Naruto..." Annabeth said exasperated while Rachel chuckled at Piper's confused arched brow.

"What?" he asked.

"She's new." Annabeth said, giving him a look.

"Oh, right." Naruto had the decency to look sheepish. "I'm a son of Aphrodite."

"Really?" Piper asked, looking between Annabeth and Naruto. "I would've sworn you were her brother."

"Right?" Rachel asked with a smirk. "Handsome here has all the good genes. He is the new definition of smexy."

"Di immortales, Rachel! I'm sitting right here!" Annabeth groaned.

"Well then move so I can window shop." Rachel said with a pout.

"And let you corrupt him? I don't think so. It's a miracle his sisters haven't yet." Annabeth said. She turned to her nephew and pinched his whiskered cheek. "Isn't that right, Naruto?"

"Annabeth! Knock it off!" Naruto said with a whine as he batted her hand away.

"He's the definition of smexy?" Piper asked, amused.

"Well duh," said Rachel, rolling her eyes. "He's sexy fine, the perfect balance of sexy molecules and fine molecules. Not to mention being Athena's grandson, giving him the smart to go along with it. Thus, Handsome is the new smexy."

Piper was once again speechless after Rachel finished her explanation. Annabeth however openly glared at the girl for talking about her nephew that way. Honestly, as if she didn't have enough problems with the rest of Cabin Ten trying to show him off as their prime example of Aphrodite's children, like he's the new Aeneas. Her nephew was better than that barbaric idiot!

"Rachel..." Naruto said with a small flush. He scratched his cheek. "You're putting way too much into it again. I'm not all that smart."

"..._And_ he's modest! Seriously, he's like near perfect. Just give him a white horse." Rachel said with a groan. She looked up at the sky and clasped her hands together. "Lord Apollo. Please, can you just make this gig seasonal and not a lifetime?"

"Rachel!" Annabeth did not look amused.

"I was just kidding, Annabeth, geez." Rachel said with a frown.

"So...you're Athena's grandson? That means your dad was a son of Athena, right?" Piper asked, looking at Naruto with intrigue. It wasn't every day that you met a kid with so much godly heritage in him.

"Yep!" Naruto chirped with a grin. He nodded to some of the coming campers, giving a friendly wave to Leo as he and Nyssa showed up to the campfire. Leo snagged the spot next to him, getting a small glower from Nyssa. "And apparently, I'm the first legacy to camp in over fifty years, I think."

"Forty, Naruto." Annabeth said, correcting him. "The last one was William H. Gates III, a son of Athena and a grandson of Hephaestus."

"...I'm related to Bill Gates?" Leo asked with bright eyes. Naruto shrugged. He still didn't see what was so special about technology. Oh the door can open with a click of a button! Mortals were just getting lazy if you asked him.

"Yes, but don't let that go to your head, Naruto. It's a very rare for a legacy to show up at camp." Annabeth said, to which he rolled his eyes, but nodded nonetheless.

Soon enough, the rest of the kids at camp had gathered around the campfire. Naruto noticed Piper stealing glances at Jason and Leo was doing the same, but not for the same reason. Jason, the poor guy, looked distraught and confused, which was understandable, considering he was suffering from amnesia. Naruto didn't know what that was like, but he supposed it was akin to a Jinchuriki losing their tailed beast, like when he almost died from Kurama's Yang separation. Thank goodness his dad had given him the Yin half of Kurama.

Naruto wouldn't know where he would be without the giant fox inside him. Kurama was his friend, practically a brother, and his current 'coma' was upsetting to the blond Jinchuriki. He knew that Kurama had to find balance between his two chakras, but it was taking so long. Naruto hated waiting, he missed his friend. He wanted to share the new world he discovered with Kurama.

Naruto was broken from his thoughts when a bolt of lightning came down and struck the bonfire. He immediately hopped to his feet with his staff in his hand. Jason was standing as well and the air suddenly became still, as if it were confused over who to side with. Annabeth stood and sat the older blond down, while Chiron did the same with Jason.

"A son of Zeus," said someone from where Apollo's cabin sat.

"Zeus' kids get all the cool stuff!" A son of Ares whined.

"Jupiter." Naruto caught the name and blinked, his head tilting in confusion. Wasn't that a Roman name as well? This Jason kid really knew his Roman pantheon, didn't he?

"Zeus is your sire, Jason." Chiron seemed a bit too eager to enforce that. He really was being Mr. Negative lately, even with training. He was shifty when it came to questions about the big three and events after Greece's fall. It made Naruto curious.

"A son of Poseidon goes missing and a son of Zeus arrives?" Naruto asked with a frown on his face. "Doesn't anyone else find that a bit strange?"

"Like you're one to talk," said Mark with a snort. "Mr. Ninja-son-of-Aphrodite-and-legacy-of-Athena. Seriously, how does that happen?"

Naruto flushed at that being pointed out while the other campers laughed.

Rachel opened her mouth to add something when she suddenly shot to her feet, her eyes going blank.

_"Child of lightning, beware the earth,_

_The giants' revenge the seven shall birth._

_Child of love, beware the king's wrath,_

_Lest the sons of the sage walk a different path._

_The forge and dove shall break the cage,_

_And death unleash through Hera's rage."_

"She's coming out of it," said a child of Apollo. Rachel was caught as she fell down to her seat, the boy that spoke before being among the few that helped her into a chair that was set behind her as soon as she shot up. Rachel looked exhausted after giving her prophecy. Naruto didn't envy her for that, still... 'Child of love'? Twice?

"It seems, Jason, that you have been given a quest by the gods," said Chiron. He looked around the campfire. "Forge and dove are quite obvious indeed. Do we have any volunteers from Cabins Nine and Ten?"

"Count me in, Jason!" Leo said hopping to his feet. "I had your back at the canyon, and I got it now."

"Are you sure, Leo?" Jason asked. The guy had been nothing but helpful and kind.

"You know it." Leo said with a smirk.

"Alright, but you have to find us some transportation," said Jason. The 'beware the earth' line had him a bit concerned for the way they would be moving.

"That takes care of our cabin," said Nyssa. She looked over where the Aphrodite daughters and sons were gathered, and then stole a glance at Naruto as he fidgeted with his staff.

"I'll go!" Drew said, hopping to her feet. She smiled. "I'll be a great help on the quest, won't I?"

"Drew would be good." A camper said. Others swiftly agreed with him. Naruto shook his head. Drew must really like the way Jason looks if she's using her charmtalk to get on this bandwagon.

"No!" Piper said, rising to her feet. "I should be going on this quest! I've known Jason longer."

"Really?" Drew asked scathingly. "And how is that, miss _unclaimed_ girl?"

"Drew!" Naruto said swiftly, his eyes narrowing in disapproval.

"Naruto could go," said Annabeth, getting some eyes on her, including a look of betrayal from Piper. "He is the only counselor of Aphrodite without a quest."

"Now there's an idea," said Will with a nod of agreement. Many others soon began mumbling in concurrence.

"But...I should go. I can help Jason," said Piper firmly. It was as if the campers had been doused in something, their murmuring changing to support Piper.

"No! I'm a daughter of Aphrodite, I can go!" Drew said with a frown.

"You just like the way Jason looks." Piper said accusingly. "You want to use the quest to get closer to him."

"Isn't that what you want to do?" Drew asked with a scowl.

"That's-!"

"And the fact remains that _you're_ not claimed! If anyone doesn't have a right to volunteer it's –" Drew was cut off by a bright rose colored light appearing around Piper. Her hair was pulled up and the jeans and shorts she wore were replaced with a long white dress. Above her head after the light faded was a pink dove.

"...Well, I think it's safe to say she can go," Naruto said dryly while everyone just stared at the girl.

"...What-who the heck jacked my clothes?!" Piper asked, making her new brothers and sisters – sans Drew – laugh. Naruto, wiping a small tear from his eye, chuckled.

"That, Piper, would be our mother's doing," said Naruto. He got to his feet and walked over to her. He stood a good head and a half taller than her and he lightly clapped a hand on her shoulder. "Welcome to Cabin Ten, Piper."

"...Thanks..." Piper said after a moment. He grinned and Miu gave a soft cry as she spread her wings, as if making the moment official.

"Rachel!" The new siblings looked to the Oracle as she got back to her feet.

"I'm fine." Rachel said, waving off the camper helping her recover from her prophetic vision. She walked around the campfire before standing in front of Jason. "Jason, you must rescue Hera before the solstice. You know the great prophecy, the Prophecy of Seven, some of the seven are here already, I'm sure of it." She looked exhausted and stumbled back, before Jason could help her, she was caught by Naruto's clone. She grinned up at him while the new three demigods gaped. "Thanks, handsome."

"Anytime, Rachel." The Naruto clone said, grinning back at her. He helped her back to her seat before he disappeared in a poof of smoke.

"...What the heck was that?!" Leo asked, a few campers murmuring excitedly about it.

"Another reason I wish Lord Apollo was more lenient," said Rachel with a sigh. "Handsome here is every girl's dream come true. A man who's good looking and can multiply."

"Mr. Uzumaki is a unique demigod aside from being a legacy." Chiron said with a roll of his eyes at the Oracle's comment. "He comes from the island where the Letoides were born, now named the Moving Continent by most of the gods and the Elemental Countries by the natives. They developed a way to manipulate their own life force and use it to do extraordinary things, such as Naruto's clones."

"Only downside is they last about a second in a fight." Naruto said with a sigh.

"Does anyone here really mind that though?" Rachel asked with a tired smile.

"No," said most of the girls sitting around the campfire, all of them smiling with eyes glazed over in thought. Leo scooted away from Nyssa with the look she had on her face.

"They do make great cannon fodder, though," said Malcolm, getting a glare from Annabeth for saying it. "What? They do."

"...You sure you still want to go, Piper?" Jason asked, thinking about the possibilities where Naruto could come in handy.

"Yes!" Piper said readily before looking down at herself. "Just...not in this."

"Highly impractical." Lacy said, nodding in agreement.

"Lacy, you help her get ready for her quest," said Naruto. He nodded his head in the Oracle's direction. "I'll help Dustin get Rachel back to her room."

"Carry me, Handsome?" Rachel asked, pouting at him.

"Only if you're good." Naruto said with a chuckle. He missed all the jealous glares sent the Oracle's way. Rachel just stuck her tongue out at them. Naruto turned back to look at Piper, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You'll probably leave as soon as possible, considering the time limit. Be careful, Piper. I've heard some horror stories and I don't want to lose a sister I just got."

"Th-Thanks." Piper said with a small stutter.

"I believe this calls for an end of the campfire." Chiron said. "Campers, back to your cabins."

There were a few disgruntled groans and grumbles, but Cabin Ten seemed to be excited to have another member, two in two months was a good record. Especially with Naruto overthrowing Drew, that was a very good thing. And him naming Lacy second-in-command, much to Drew's chagrin, was unusual, but still better than the alternative.

Naruto turned to Rachel, who pouted at him and held her arms out expectantly. Rolling his eyes, Naruto looked at Miu. "You don't mind, do you?"

Miu spread her wings and flew over to Lacy, landing on the girl's shoulder carefully. Naruto chuckled and then picked Rachel up, cradling her like a bride. The younger girl grinned at that while Dustin, the son of Apollo who was a part of the 'Oracle Care Group' as Rachel called them, rolled his eyes and followed.

* * *

"That lucky bi-"

"Nyssa!" Annabeth cut the girl off as she lingered behind with Jason and Leo.

"What? She is!" Nyssa said with a scowl.

"Who knew sisters could be such a pain?" Leo said with a groan.

"What was that elf boy?" Nyssa asked, glaring at him.

"Nothing~!"

* * *

"Can you tuck me in tonight, too handsome?" Rachel asked with a yawn. They were walking towards the Big House, where Rachel had a room. Naruto hadn't seen it, his meeting with her took place at Cabin Six.

"I think you're old enough to tuck yourself in, Rachel." Naruto said with a chuckle.

"Nonsense!" she said with a grin. "Who wouldn't want you tucking them in, Handsome?"

"You're too tired to think straight, Rachel," said Naruto. Dustin opened the door and Naruto walked in, setting her on the couch to the right of the door. She frowned as he stepped away. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"That's no fun...How's about a kiss goodnight?" She said, grinning at him. Her eyes clenched shut and she groaned. "Stingy jerk. Just one?"

"Goodnight, Rachel." Naruto said with a small chuckle, not aware she was serious. He left, giving Dustin a wave goodnight, leaving Rachel pouting on the couch.

"Dustin, think you can convince your dad to come meet me face-to-face?" she asked her caretaker for the night, who chuckled in amusement. She crossed her arms over her chest with her pout still in place. "I need to make a new deal with him."

"Good luck." Dustin said with a snort.

"Well, with a successful businessman for a dad, you pick up a few things." She said cheekily. "Maybe I'll get lucky.

"And then the gods will grant me immortality. Not likely," said Dustin with a chuckle at her pout.

"Jerk."

* * *

Naruto made his way back to the campfire, his mind racing with worry. He's had time to train his brothers and sisters, making them strong enough as genin who had been on a few c-ranks. Which, in terms of regular humans, gave them enough strength to put up enough of a fight against Ares' kids without getting creamed in five seconds. Heck, Lacy could last a good ten minutes against Mark, so that was something.

Apparently, camp was the primary way most demigods got trained, and without knowing her personal history, Naruto wasn't really one hundred percent comfortable sending Piper off without any training. Sure she'd have Jason and Leo to back her up – Naruto was confident enough that she wouldn't need to be protected, having enough sense to figure out she had charmtalk like Drew did – but still, something about the prophecy had Naruto on edge.

"_Child of love, beware the king's wrath, lest the sons of the sage walk a different path._"

Naruto groaned and sat down on one of the logs set out for the campers, his hands rubbing his face as he did. He heard a distant roar and turned towards Cabin Nine before shaking his head and looking back into the fire. His eyes narrowed in confusion when he saw a girl standing between him and the fire, sitting on her knees and humming pleasantly while poking a large iron stick into the campfire.

"Uh...shouldn't you be at Cabin Eleven?" Naruto asked her.

"While I think I would be welcomed, I have a duty to stoke the fire." She said softly.

"That seems like it would be a bit dangerous for someone your age." Naruto said.

"It's simply knowing how to avoid being burned." The girl looked over her shoulder and the flames seemed to crackle in her eyes as they met his. "You sound troubled, groaning to yourself."

"I'm just worried about Piper," said Naruto. He felt very comfortable around this girl, she gave off the same feeling Iruka did. She set her iron stick down and turned to face him fully. "She literally just fell into this role and she seemed more concerned about Jason than herself. I've had a friend who was like that once, unable to bear the thought that a guy she liked was fatally injured. I doubt Piper is _that_ bad, but...I don't know, something feels wrong about letting her go off alone and untrained."

"Let me tell you a story..." the girl said, getting Naruto's attention. "There was a boy much like you at camp, once. Worried about his friend that was on a quest. He went so far as to break the rules and leave the camp to save his friend from the Sea of Monsters. He faced a sorceress, a hydra and the cyclops who held his friend hostage, all for the sake of his friend. This hero came back successful, and his name is heralded as one of the bravest, and foolish, heroes this camp has ever seen."

"Sounds like my kind of guy," said Naruto with a small smile. "What is his name?"

"Percy Jackson." The girl's eyes twinkled in amusement as Naruto burst into laughter.

"Oh man, I can't wait to meet him!" he said. Naruto chuckled and looked at the sky. "I think we'd get along just great. Wonder if he likes ramen."

"I'm sure you both would get along greatly." The girl said with a smile. She picked her iron staff up and stood, smiling at the blond as she did. "You will know what to do, Naruto Uzumaki. The Last Olympian smiles upon you."

"...Dionysus?" Naruto asked, getting a giggle from the girl as she walked away towards the big house. Naruto started to turn to follow her with his gaze before shaking it off and looking back at the fire. He watched the fires dance, thinking of words his grandfather-like leader said to him all those years ago.

"_Naruto, to those like us who posses the Will of Fire everyone is family. The desire to protect one's family builds thicker and stronger bonds between each and everyone in the village. If the Will of Fire is embraced by everyone, the village will be alright no matter what happens."_ The old leader of Konoha said as he stood with a near graduated Naruto on the top of the Fourth Hokage's head, overlooking their village. That's when Naruto realized that to become Hokage meant to be more than acknowledgement and he made his proclamation to become the strongest and greatest Hokage the village has ever seen.

Naruto smiled slightly, looking up at the starry sky as he thought about his homeland. Cabin Six would love it, the architecture, the military structure and the school. His sisters probably wouldn't care about that, which made his grin widen. They'd probably be more concerned with getting Sasuke's attention.

Amused at the thought, Naruto gathered himself up and headed towards his cabin. He'd go back to Konoha after he was done helping his family. First son of Aphrodite to be Hokage...now that would be a goal to strive for.

* * *

The next morning came all too soon for Naruto, who woke with a groan as Miu cried out to the cabin along with the morning horn. Several of his sisters joined him in groaning, enjoying their beauty sleep far too much. They woke sluggishly, Naruto getting out of bed in all of his boxer-clad glory to give Miu a pat on the head.

Leaning against the wall as he stroked the eagle's head, Naruto yawned and looked over his siblings as they stumbled out of bed.

"Piper's got first shower rights," said Naruto with another yawn, getting some whines. "She's got a quest, girls. First flights, first rights."

Naruto waited for his sisters to finish up in the shower, a whole morning endeavor all on its own, and after an hour finally managed to get in. After he got out, he joined them at breakfast, looking over and noticing Jason's absence from the Cabin One table. Must be nice, sleeping in before a quest. Maybe he should've let Piper sleep in. Nah, they would probably leave like he said the night before, as soon as possible.

They went back to the cabin to get ready for inspection, something Aphrodite's cabin was notorious for never doing wrong. Naruto thought that in itself was a miracle, considering all the clothes, accessories and makeup their cabin had. According to Mitchel, not only were their sisters, and a few brothers, worried about looking good, they wanted to look neat. Pristine, was the word Mitchel used.

It was all going well until the fight started. Naruto was getting ready for his lessons with the satyrs when Drew and Piper got into a verbal tiff that very nearly came to blows had he not forcibly kept them separated. Thank the gods for shadow clones, seriously that technique was so useful.

As he feared, Drew started it. She had started talking crap about Silena, _again_, claiming that she went against their mother's ideals. Apparently, Drew's idea of true love was to break hearts, like Aphrodite had to many of her lovers. Naruto, personally, thought that was bullshit. Piper apparently thought the same, coming to Silena's defense and asking what Drew knew about it, asking if she'd ever actually felt something for another guy.

And then Drew brought up Jason and Piper's history, which totally blew Naruto's mind.

Apparently, someone had used the Mist heavily around Piper and Leo's memories, making them think that Jason had been in their school for months. Not only that, but Piper's memories had her and Jason in a serious relationship. He really felt bad for his little sister, and felt _really_ pissed at whoever toyed with her head like that.

Someone was going to get a good ol' Uzumaki talking to, i.e. pounding.

"You're just a mindfucked little brat!" Drew said as she finished her rant, getting a gasp from her sisters.

"Drew! Too far! Put the shoes on!" Naruto said, his clone forcing the Asian girl to turn towards the closet where they were kept, not being that gentle about it but not doing it hard enough to seriously hurt her. He looked at Piper, her jaw clenched and her eyes blinking back the tears rapidly, deciding that it was a bit too much for her and walked her out of the cabin.

"Come on, Piper," said Naruto as he led the younger girl out of the cabin on a walk. When he felt she had regained enough control over herself, Naruto decided to speak. "Do you feel better?"

"Not really." Piper said, frowning. "She's wrong...I don't...I'm _not_ crazy. Jason and I, we...We have _something_."

"Well, it's not my place to say if you do or don't. It's not Drew's either. You and Jason have to decide for yourselves," said Naruto. He smiled at her. "I think you know that already though."

"...Did you want to go on this quest?" Piper asked, wanting to change the subject. Naruto hummed, making her look at him.

"Well, yes and no. Yes, because I would _love_ to get out there and kick some more monster ass. No, because I feel like I could still do some good here." He said. "Do you?"

"...I don't know." Piper said, frowning. She really didn't. She had wanted to go to help Jason...and then there were her dreams. She wanted to find out what had happened to her dad. At the same time though, she wanted to take it all in. Lacy had told her she had a special power and she had no idea how to use it. Lacy also told her that while a strict trainer, Naruto was the best in the camp. He wasn't the smartest, but he was definitely up there when it came to infighting within cabins.

Plus...a whole cabin of siblings really beat out correctional facili-er, _school_.

"Well, I think you'll do fine." Naruto said with a smile. "You're a smart girl, I mean, you didn't just squeal in joy when mom jacked your clothes."

"She do that to you, too?" Piper asked. The blond deflated.

"She took my calluses..."

"...That's...bad?"

Naruto gave her a haunted look. "It's horrible...I've worked _years_ and it showed with the calluses on my hands." Piper gave him a look like he was weird, but still smiled, letting a small laugh out as he looked away. "I swear only Cabin Nine understands me."

"Well at least someone does," said Piper with a smile. Naruto was weird, but he was funny. And he was a pretty nice guy. Piper was happy to have a 'big brother' like him now.

"True." Naruto said as he smiled back at her. "I want you to take care of yourself, Piper. I could use another sister that feels my pain when it comes to" he shuddered "pink."

"I feel your pain." Piper said, patting him on the arm sympathetically. She released a surprised squeak when he pulled her into a hug for about three seconds. "N-Naruto! What the hell?!"

"I can't let my new little sister go off without a hug," he said with a chuckle as he set her down. Piper huffed and gave him a mock glare while Naruto smiled at her good-naturedly. "Go find the others and kick some ass. Show 'em that Cabin Ten isn't all pink and hearts."

"Thanks Naruto." Piper said, her glare falling into a small smile that turned into a smirk. "Try not to seduce anyone else while I'm gone, will you?"

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, confused. Piper just laughed, turning around and walking towards Cabin One. "Piper! Hey! What do you mean seduce?! I don't understand!"

* * *

**AN: Here's chapter four! Hope you all enjoy it!**


	5. Sage in the North

**Because Blood of Olympus hit the shelves today, I decided to give you something to read **_**after**_** you finish the series.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Percy Jackson.**

**Co-Written by Engineer4Ever**

**Fils de l'Amour: The Lost Hero**

**Chapter 5: Sage in the North**

* * *

After her refusal to answer his question about her comment, Piper had joined up with Jason at Cabin One, leaving Naruto to sit at the remains of the bonfire and think about his options. He thought about what the girl the night before had said about Percy leaving to help a friend of his. The blond sage was very uneasy and his gut was telling him to go, to keep an eye on Piper and the other two. However, he couldn't just go on the quest on a whim...or could he?

Annabeth told him how in rare occasions, some quests have more than three members, her quest into the labyrinth being one of them. Naruto understood that three was a sacred number, genin teams in the Elemental Nations were set up that way after all, but there was usually an experienced warrior to help the fresh genin on their first few missions outside of the village. Naruto snickered as he imagined himself acting like Kakashi while Leo, Jason and Piper took his, Sasuke and Sakura's roles as the annoyed genin. Ah, that would be fun. In fact...An idea struck the blond and he beamed at the brilliance of it.

He hopped to his feet and ran back to Cabin Ten as fast as he could, bursting through the doors, startling all of his brothers and sisters as he did. He grabbed his staff, some paper, and a pencil. Naruto grinned at the surprised and confused faces his siblings gave him.

"Going out for a while. Lacy, you're in charge. Drew, don't use the charmtalk on anyone or else you wear the stupid shoes for a month! Be good, love you!" Naruto left the cabin in a stupor before running out the door towards Cabin Six, writing on the piece of paper he snatched hastily. Once he got to Cabin Six, he held the paper to the wooden doorframe and stabbed the pencil into it, driving the lead tip through and making a makeshift nail.

"Piper, Jason, c'mon let's get this show on the road already! I'm not getting any younger!" Leo's voice echoed through the camp. Naruto turned and gasped at what the shorter teen was sitting on as he waited outside of Cabin One. A dragon, like Peleus, but different. It was bronzed and had a more unnatural feel to it, much like the cars that Naruto experienced in New York. He was stunned for a moment when the dragon turned its head towards him, tilting it curiously as blank mechanical eyes studied him.

Naruto wasn't sure how to react to the sudden empathic reach that the creature made, so he let the reach fall short as he continued to gape at the marvel of a creation. Leo certainly did something Naruto thought impossible after dealing with only cars for the month he was at camp: he had made a living machine. By the time Naruto recovered from this discovery, the bronze dragon had already taken off.

"Shit!" Naruto said, swearing as he burst into a sprint until he came to the edge of the boundary. Deciding to kick it up a notch, the blond jumping to the trees, climbing the branches with each step in an effort to catch up to them. He was at least fifty feet up, jumping from the highest and sturdiest branches he could before realizing he overshot the dragon by a good twenty seconds.

"Dammit!" Naruto said, cursing himself for not paying complete attention. He jumped to a tree the dragon looked like it was going to fly over and climbed to the top with ease, perched on the tip by the balls of his feet. His legs were crouched and his eyes narrowed as he waited before he made his move.

Naruto jumped, throwing his free hand out and pleading to whatever god or goddess would listen that he would make it. Fingers scraped against bronze plating and Naruto's eyes went wide. Chakra latched onto the bronze like a suction cup and with all of his upper body strength, Naruto pulled himself to sit on the stomach of the dragon. He sighed in relief as he crossed his legs, not caring for the thing that most humans and demigods called gravity as he openly spat in its face.

Take that, Issac Nuton or whatever the hell Annabeth said his name was!

He almost didn't make it. Naruto could've laughed if he wasn't so busy trying to calm his beating heart. He probably did, considering there was a muffled question coming from above. Whatever, it was probably about the quest. There was a familiar cry coming from below him and Naruto blinked in surprise at seeing Miu flying so close behind him. He smiled at her loyalty and looked ahead into the distance, wondering what would await him on this quest.

* * *

"I don't believe it." Annabeth said as she looked at the letter in her hand. She shook her head in disbelief. Naruto and Percy were going to be great friends, they were too alike not to be. And once she found the latter, she could then rip into both of them for their stupidity, honestly making her worry. It was like dealing with children. Though she should've known that, having dealt with Percy for almost six years and Naruto for the past month.

So here she was, on her way to the Big House to report to Chiron that Naruto was gone. From the panicked satyr, Billy was his name, she thinks, running past her towards the entrance of the camp, apparently Chiron would already be aware of this. Which was good. This was too big a problem not to report, but her nephew should've known better.

"I mean really, running away from camp to join a quest, what kind of idiot does that?" Annabeth asked herself. She frowned as soon as she said it, a name coming to mind instantly. Percy Jackson was that kind of idiot. Great, now she had to put a stop to that sort of behavior. One Percy was enough for her.

As she walked up to the front door, Annabeth could hear the lovely voice of Drew Tanaka arguing with Rachel. Great, just what she wanted to deal with.

"He put Lacy in charge, Drew! The whole cabin has reported it!"

"Just because you're the Oracle doesn't mean you get to decide who does what!"

"Ms. Tanaka, Ms. Dare would you both stop arguing over this matter?" Chiron said as Annabeth opened the door. The centaur sighed in relief as his weary eyes landed on her. "Annabeth, thank goodness you've come. Tell me Naruto is in your cabin doing his studies, please?"

"Actually, Chiron, I came here about that." Annabeth said with an apologetic smile. She held out a piece of paper and Chiron stared at it for a moment before taking it. His eyes scanned over the words and as the hurried note was reread, Chiron groaned in dismay.

"Another Percy...I don't know how I'll be able to deal with him. They're both worse than Theseus, I swear..." he said. The centaur had gained a twitch in his eye as he recalled the days of training Theseus. The lad had the attention span of a fish when he was learning, something his most recent brother had in common with him. Why did Poseidon's children have to take in his worst aspects. Wasn't that supposed to be the faults of Zeus' children?

"So what did Handsome say? Any particular farewells?" Rachel asked, rather innocently. Annabeth saw right through it, rolling her eyes at the redhead's questions.

"Here...I can't bring myself to read it again." Chiron gave her the note to read, turning around and walking away while rubbing his face. Rachel's eyes scanned the note before she burst into laughter. Drew snatched the note from her before reading it aloud.

"'Dear Anna-oba, gone to help Piper with her quest. Wish us luck, Naruto. PS: Don't let Drew charmtalk Lacy or anyone else into doing chores or else she has to wear the stupid shoes.'" Drew pouted at being called out and glared at the little drawing of her brother's face with a small peace sign drawn next to it. She looked at the red faced Annabeth with an arched brow. "Anna-oba?"

"Tell _anyone_ about that name and I swear I will find a way to cut your hair off for good." Annabeth said with a glare to the daughter of Aphrodite.

"He's a riot!" Rachel said once she recomposed herself a bit. She sighed sadly. "Oh I can't wait to give him his own quest...alone...in the attic...with some nice music and candles-Annabeth stop glaring I was kidding!"

"That was a rather specific joke, even for you," said Annabeth, frowning at the Oracle who just smiled innocently.

"Or a desperate plea to the gods." Drew said as she crumpled the note in her hand. She and Rachel exchanged a glare.

"With all that funk around you, you smell like gasoline and roses." Rachel said with a scowl.

"Oh really? We're going to play that game?" Drew asked, glaring at the oracle even more. She smelled fantastic, thank you very much!

"Ladies..." Chiron said, his tone warning them that he wasn't going to tolerate a fight in the Big House. They both huffed and looked away, before Rachel made a whine.

"If only I waited a few months..." she said, groaning and letting her head roll back. "Lord Apollo, I hope you're happy. I swear that the Fates hate me..."

"Rachel, he's my nephew! I don't want to hear this!" Annabeth said with a groan as she collapsed in a chair. She looked out the window of the Big House at Cabin Ten, frowning. "I hope he'll be alright."

* * *

"_He is my favorite nephew, after all."_

"Alright, I'm bored." Naruto said with a yawn, his chin resting on his hand and his staff laying across his lap, which he covered with his other arm to keep in place. Miu was still flying nearby, now trying to entertain him by doing very impressive flips and rolls. A few minutes ago, though, she tried to bring him a mouse. He appreciated the gesture, and would've welcomed a rabbit – those could be cooked easily – but...a mouse? Pass.

Naruto's stomach rumbled and he groaned. He skipped breakfast to ask Piper about her past. He never saw her as a car thief, but then again she had charmtalk so maybe she was just joking and it backfired on her. There was another grumble and he whimpered. He was too hungry to think straight. What he wouldn't do for a cup of ramen. A thought struck his hunger addled mind, maybe Piper or Leo had some snacks!

Hope filling his chest, Naruto climbed to his feet and began walking around the dragon. The whiskered blond grinned as he sat down behind his little sister.

"Piper, you got something to eat?"

"Dios mío, qué diablos estás haciendo aqui?! (Oh my god, what are you doing here?!)" Leo said in Spanish while both Jason and Piper jumped in surprise.

"Are you crazy?!" Jason said.

"Naruto?! What are you doing here?!" Piper asked with a scream while tightening her grip around Jason's sides.

"That's what I said!" Leo glared at the whiskered blond.

"I felt like going," said Naruto with a shrug. Jason just turned around to stare at him, his electric blue eyes wide in shock. Piper also turned to look at her older brother.

"You felt like...Naruto you can't just leave the camp!" Piper said, shouting at the blond while also trying to calm her still beating heart. "Who's going to keep Drew in line while you're gone? Did you think about that?"

"Drew knows not to use her charmtalk on the cabin." Naruto said, waving the concern off. "Besides, you haven't had any real training yet."

"Why does that concern me, like, a lot?" Piper asked, nervously.

"Wait, does this mean we have super ninja with us?" Leo asked, recalling the clone thing.

"Well I wouldn't say _super_ but pretty much, yeah." Naruto said, grinning happily.

"...I like this plan. I feel really good about this plan! I say the pretty boy stays!" Leo said.

"Sweet-wait, pretty boy?" Naruto asked. He blinked in confusion. "What do you mean, pretty boy?"

"Dude, you've seen yourself in the mirror, haven't you?" Leo asked.

"Yeah, I know I look so weird," said Naruto. He rubbed at his cheeks. "I mean, Dad looked okay, but...I'm so used to having a rounder face."

"...Are you gay?" Leo asked, arching a brow.

"Hell no!" Naruto said, his face bright red as previously repressed memories started to rise. He shuddered and spat over the edge at the memory. Ugh, Sasuke was like his brother...that was just a horrible thing that happened to them. Twice in fact!

Naruto would rather dine on Ma Toad's bugs for the rest of his life than relive those memories.

"Okay, okay, no need to be so vehement about it," said Leo. "Nothing wrong with being gay, I was just curious."

"Well I'm not," said Naruto with a pout. He really hoped no one found out about his and Sasuke's accidents. Great, now he'd have to repress those memories again. He shook his head to get those thoughts out of his head. "So what's the plan?"

"Annabeth said that we should talk to the lord of the winds to find out why the venti attacked us." Jason said. "We're going to Quebec to find the God of the North Wind and get some answers."

"Cool, meeting a god. Hopefully better than the last experience I had before Mom, but that goes without saying." Naruto said, shivering at the recollection of meeting Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. She deserved the name Rabbit Demon, freaky pretty lady. And he was her descendant? Yikes.

"You've met a god before?" Piper asked.

"Twice before actually, but it's a _really_ long story we don't have time for," said Naruto.

"It can't be that long." Piper said.

"It goes back to before I was even thought of and ended just a few months ago," said Naruto dryly.

"Yikes." Leo said with a wince.

"Tell me about it. I lived it and it still makes my head hurt," said the whiskered blond. He looked at his little sister as she giggled and grinned. "So what is your weapon?"

"Katropis," said Piper, grinning as she unsheathed the dagger. "Helen of Troy's dagger."

"...I don't know who that is." Naruto and Leo said as one.

Piper rolled her eyes. "The most beautiful woman in Ancient Greece? The reason there was a Trojan War?"

"...Still no idea."

"That doesn't help me at all."

"You two are not allowed to be alone," said Piper with a frown.

"I'm still learning though!" Naruto said with a pout. He smirked at Leo. "You, however, have no excuse."

"Don't make me kick you off Festus. Happy or not, this dragon only listens to me." Leo said.

"Well, charmspeak could work on him." Piper said.

"Girl, whose side are you on?"

"Family first, Leo."

"Wow, Piper I feel the love."

"Yeah, but I don't have charmtalk," said Naruto. He got a bewildered look from Piper and tilted his head. "What?"

"...Nothing, just remembering something Lacy told me." Piper said, shaking her head. He really didn't believe he had charmspeak. Wow, that...that was actually kind of disappointing. She was hoping he'd be able to help her develop her own.

"Oh. Can I see Katro-whatever its called?"

"_Kat-ro-pis_, Naruto."

"Can I see Katropis, please?"

"Sure, here." Piper said, handing the knife to her brother. Naruto took the weapon blade first, holding it up by the tip and turning it around to examine the handle.

"Unused...in a long time. Probably used mostly for show." He said. Naruto flipped the dagger in the air and caught the handle with ease. "Heavy, not good for throwing accurately. Hm...This thing is really reflect..."

Naruto cut off as he peered into the reflective blade. Looking back at him was a sleeping woman that rivaled his mom in beauty. She was more motherly in appearance and had dark skin that reminded him of the Hokage monument when the sunset hit it just right. The woman's eyes were closed and a cloak that appeared like the crust of the earth covered her dark hair. The eyes cracked slightly and the smile she had on her face seemed to widen.

_Show me your face, godling..._

Naruto's breath hitched as a female voice echoed in his head. He continued to stare at the image he saw, watching in a disturbed sense of fascination as the eyes slowly slid open, revealing two green and black eyes.

_I wish to meet the legacy of the Shinju._

Naruto's eyes went wide at the mention of the Shinju, the monster created by his ancestor the Rabbit Demon, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki. The Shinju was the original name of the Jubi, the ten-tailed biju that was separated into the Nine Biju by the Sage of Six Paths. The shinobi consuming tree that nearly killed all of the Elemental Nation's inhabitants.

_Show me your power._

"Naruto?" Piper's voice snapped Naruto out of his trance. He looked at his concerned sister's face and then back at the knife. The woman was gone and after a moment there was no voice in his head. Strange...did he just imagine that?

"Naruto, you still there?" Piper asked.

"Yeah," he said. He shook his head. "Sorry, thought I saw something. This blade is real strange."

"You thought you saw something?" Piper asked, her own eyes widening slightly. Naruto shrugged.

"Probably just a figment of my imagination." He said.

"Naruto, I saw something in it, too." She said, making Naruto look at her oddly. "It's called Katropis, Naruto."

"Mirror..." Naruto said, looking at the blade.

"More like a looking glass." Piper said.

"So a two-way mirror..." Naruto said. "Interesting." He chuckled and looked at the staff resting across his lap. "And here I've just got a bronze staff."

"Ah, but Teddy Roosevelt loved the phrase 'speak softly, and carry a big stick,'" said Piper. The three boys gave her odd looks that had her fidgeting. "I pay attention in history class!"

"Teacher's pet."

"Stuff it, Valdez!"

"Anyway," Naruto said, getting his sister's attention. "So what did you see?"

Piper fidgeted for a moment before looking away. "I'll tell you later."

"Alright." Naruto said. He made a contemplating hum before he spun the handle of the dagger on his open palm. He caught it in a reverse grip. "Have you ever used a knife before?"

"Um, no. I just picked it because it felt right." Piper said, wondering if that was wrong.

"Well, we can't all be naturals." Naruto said with a shrug. He kept the blade in his hand and spun his seat to the side. "So when you're fighting, the most effective use of a dagger, in my opinion, is the reverse grip like this. It keeps your arm free to use and doesn't limit you to a front stab."

"Really?" Piper asked, daring to let go of Jason with one hand to look. Jason turned around with her and Leo snorted.

"Of course the super ninja would know knives."

"Trust me, I'm not the weapon eccentric ninja." Naruto said with a chuckle. His friend Tenten would be drooling over this dagger. She loved that sort of stuff, and taught him most of what he knew when it came to his use of kunai and throwing stars when he was held back. He should probably thank her somehow...maybe have Cabin Nine make her a cool sword or something. "Now when you're fighting like this, you have to make sure your guard is focused to one side, so if, say, someone comes at you from the left while you're holding with your right, you have to turn quickly. Don't be afraid to throw a punch when you get locked up blade-to-blade. Or a head butt."

"Or you could knee 'em in the crotch."

"...Thank you, Leo." Piper said dryly.

"It's what I do."

After Leo's input, Naruto helped Piper practice the proper motions while they sat on the dragon. Now, that sounds difficult, but this is Naruto, the ninja with the moniker that includes the word "unpredictable." He makes things happen when he puts his mind to it, impressively like his mother if you were to ask her. Naruto would stand behind Piper, using his chakra to stick them to the dragon while he positioned her arm. Jason, interested, tried to watch, but when he turned around he nearly got brained by Piper's elbow. All the while, Leo hummed a tune that Piper told Naruto was called "Kung Fu Fighting." Naruto taught Piper other grips and ways to use her dagger, telling the three of them stories about his homeland all the while keeping her on the dragon as they soared towards Canada.

* * *

"Now entering Quebec!" Leo said, collapsing a telescope he pulled from his tool belt. He patted the belt. "I love this thing."

"It's like a sealing scroll, but with less smoke." Naruto said, letting out a chuckle as the mechanical dragon took them through the cool air. He was feeding Miu as she rested on his leg. It was too cold up north for her to fly for so long.

"Ah, you're just jealous." Leo said with a smirk.

"Little bit." Naruto said, making the Latino laugh.

"How can the both of you joke around at a time like this?" Jason asked, rubbing his coin to comfort himself as they drew nearer to the city.

"Easily." Leo said, looking over his shoulder at the blond. "You just need to relax, I mean it could take us a bit to get to Bore-whatever."

"Boreas, Leo." Piper said, shaking her head in bemusement while putting a hand on Jason's shoulder in an effort to ease his worries. "But Leo has a point. You should relax."

"Or at least keep an eye out for where the North Wind would be," said Naruto. He looked down at the city. "If you were a god, where would you live?"

"A castle?" Piper said, pointing at the castle in the distance.

"Isn't that a bit cliché?" Leo asked.

"It's probably not really a castle." Piper said. And as Festus drew closer, they discovered Piper was right. In fact, the building was more fancy than just being a castle. It looked just like a hotel...It _was_ a hotel!

"What kind of god lives in a hotel?" Leo asked.

"A god that controls the wind?" Naruto said, knowing the unpredictability of his chakra element. Two winged men approached them after he said that. "Speaking of..."

"We got company!" Jason said.

Festus gave a small roar, glaring at the two 'angels' and coming to a halt midair, preparing to shoot a fireball at them. Leo, not wanting to start a fight with two possible gods, rubbed the mechanical dragon's neck. "Easy boy, easy."

"Halt!" barked the one on the left. He looked rather brutish in Naruto's opinion while the other looked full of himself. Joy, he loved arrogant pricks. Well, Sasuke was okay...sometimes.

"You're not clear to fly here," said the arrogant looking guy, faking a French accent poorly. His brother grinned, reminding Naruto of a happy pig. No, wait. That was an insult to Ton-Ton.

"We need papers to fly a dragon?" Leo asked, amused at the thought.

"This is a restricted airspace," said the guy that was full of himself.

"Says who?" Naruto asked.

"Us!" the brutish brother said with a smirk. "Me Cal!"

"Which is short for Calias. I am Zethes." Zethes said. "Cal here is unfortunately limited to words fewer than two syllables."

"Destroy! Pizza!"

"...Well aside from those two words." Zethes said. He looked at the dragon. "And unfortunately for you, we're going to have to ask you to turn around. Or else."

"We destroy!"

"Quite so, Cal."

"Charming, aren't they?" Naruto asked Miu dryly.

"You have to leave. Or we destroy!" Cal said with a scowl. "Dragon no welcome in Quebec!"

"Not bad, buddy, that was two more words with two syllables...and was that three sentences, somebody's practicing their hooked on phonics!" Leo said, letting out a laugh.

"Calias and Zethes? The Boreads?" Jason asked.

"So you know us? Cool. Still not good enough to get through, though." Zethes said. "Papers?"

"No! Had chance. Destroy!"

"Please, we need to make an emergency landing!" Piper said, getting Zethes' attention back on her. He grinned.

"Sorry sweetheart, but our sister would have an avalanche if we let you–"

"Please, our dragon is falling apart. We could crash at any minute!" Festus was such a good dragon in Naruto's opinion, honestly. Who else could have jerked at that precise moment and shot a cog from their neck to support Piper's words? Shame about that nice car on the ground though. It looked really expensive.

"Hm, that's a good point. What kind of person would I be to leave such a pretty girl–"

"Dude, that's my sister you're eyeballing." Naruto said with a frown.

"Can you honestly blame me?" Zethes asked.

"Yes. Yes I can."

"...Anyway, I would have to be pure evil to refuse such a request. Though father has been a bit cruel to guests." Zethes said. Cal nodded.

"Best destroy for him!" he said to his brother.

"Now, now, Cal, let's not be rude." Zethes said, chidingly.

"No destroy?" Cal said dejectedly.

"No destroy." Zethes said with a chuckle, turning to fly away.

"Aw..." Cal followed his brother, his wings flapping in the same manner to show disappointment.

"...Is it wrong that I want to fight him just to cheer him up?" Naruto asked.

"Yes. Yes it is." Piper said as Festus followed the Boreads into the hotel. The side of the roof slid open for them to land inside. Naruto happily hopped off of the dragon, Miu landing on his shoulder after he stretched.

"Man, that was a _long_ flight. Wish I could teleport like Mom can. Or use the Hiraishin. Hm...maybe Athena-oba left a clue in that journal how to do it..." Naruto said, scratching his chin, getting some looks from the other demigods. Cal looked at Zethes, who shrugged, before turning their heads at the sound of a throat clearing.

A woman stood opposite them, pale like snow, and just as beautiful. She dressed in a icy blue dress that clung to her form. Black hair cascaded down her back and dark brown eyes looked over the newcomers her brothers brought, narrowing her gaze at the dragon. She looked over the demigods once more.

"Wow, she's hot." Leo said with a dreamy smile that had Naruto arching a brow in amusement. "Name's Leo Valdez, honey. What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"

"Hot? You dare insult me? I am _cold_, Leo Valdez. Very, very cold." The woman said, glaring at him.

"...Not what I meant." Leo said with a blink. The woman huffed and looked over the others again, giving Piper a mild look of annoyance and then examining the two blonds. She gave Jason a look of approval and lingered her gaze on Naruto.

"I am Khione, goddess of snow." The newly dubbed Khione said, her lips curling into a small smile. Naruto smiled back at her and closed his eyes, missing the way her eyes washed over him. Piper, however, didn't and scowled at the goddess for ogling her brother like he was a piece of meat. Granted the glare wasn't as bad as it would have been if she ogled Jason, but it was still pretty damn intimidating nonetheless.

"Nice to meet ya, name's Naruto Uzumaki, son of Aphrodite." The sage said, getting looks of disbelief from the Boreads. He grinned at the bird of prey on his shoulder. "This is Miu, say hello Miu."

Miu shrieked and flapped her wings on her perch, getting amused smiles from the demigods.

"A boy and his bird." Leo said with a sigh as he latched his hands together over his heart. "Isn't it touching?"

"Eagle, Leo." Jason said with a smirk.

"Whatever, dude." Leo said, his eyes rolled and he dropped his hands to his sides. "Can we see Boreas now?"

"Absolutely not." Khione said, hostility lacing her voice as she leveled a glare on Leo. "You and that beast stay here."

Festus looked insulted, and quite frankly, Naruto could understand. Festus looked awesome, he was the very thing most thought of when they heard the word dragon. Not in Naruto's case, but according to Annabeth, that was because of his oriental-like culture. Naruto made sure to look more into this oriental stuff to compare after all this was done.

"Hey, Festus isn't a beast! He's badass!" Leo said with a frown. "But if you don't want him to go, who am I to argue with a pretty woman? Festus, come here boy."

The dragon approached him and he reached behind the foreleg of the machine and hit something that made a click. Festus' eyes darkened and he began folding inward. Leo chuckled when it finished and grabbed the handle of the bronze colored suitcase that now sat in front of him.

"Ta-da...uh, one second." Leo said, struggling with the bag. He knelt next to the suitcase and tinkered with it before lifting the bag with ease. "Ha! Ta-da! The world's heaviest luggage bag!"

"Leo Valdez, that's not the point. You have fire within you, heat and ice do not mix," said Khione with a frown. Naruto caught Leo's tensing with those words and blinked in confusion. Weird. Khione's voice snapped Naruto out of his thoughts. "You do not join us."

"No deal. Either all of us goes or none of us do." Jason said.

"Amusing, you think you can negotiate with us." Khione said with a small smile. The room became bone chillingly cold and Naruto really wished he had easy access to Kurama's chakra at the moment. "Valdez stays."

"Fine..." Leo said with a whine.

"Keep him company, Calias, but do not kill him." Khione said.

"Just a little?" Cal asked.

"No, Cal." Khione said with a smirk as Zethes led the other three demigods into the room. She hung back with Naruto while Cal pouted.

Leo sighed sadly and set Festus-suitcase down. He looked at Cal. "So...aside from kill, what do you like to do?"

"Hockey!" Cal said with a grin.

"That figures." Leo said, putting his chin on his hands.

* * *

"So Naruto Uzumaki...care to explain why you feel so...wild?" Khione asked, looking at the blond with a small leer as they walked. Naruto blinked in confusion at that.

"Um...Wild?" he asked.

"Uncontrolled. Like your friend Leo Valdez, you have your own feel to you. Warm, wild and so very much like the wind." Khione said, a faint blush covering her cheeks as she looked him over. "Jason Grace has a similar feel...but his is controlled and thunderous, demanding attention. Yours is more...emotional and free. And I quite like that."

"Well thank you," said Naruto with a grin. He looked at Miu. "Is that why you joined me?"

Khione looked a bit put off that he seemed to be more interested in the bird. She regained his attention quickly. "Why is it you feel like the wind?"

"Dunno, could be my chakra nature." Naruto said with a shrug. At her confused look he elaborated. "I'm from the Elemental Nations, er, I mean, the Isle of Letoides."

"_Really_?" Now Khione's interest was definitely peaked. Not many came off of the Moving Continent. "How does one get a...chakra nature?"

"Usually from your parents or grandparents. But I guess that since my mom is a goddess, I got it from Dad." Naruto said with a grin. Khione didn't think it was solely his father, since Aphrodite was known as a daughter of both the sea and The Sky.

"Interesting. Tell me more about this chakra, will you Naruto?" Khione asked, placing her hand on his arm and giving him a small smile.

"Sure, why not?" Naruto said, blissfully ignorant of her true intentions. "Chakra is energy that shinobi make by mixing together spiritual and physical energies..."

As Naruto delved into the best description of chakra he could manage, Piper turned away from Zethes' boasting in his skill in hockey, ice skating and other winter related sports to glare at Khione. She felt responsible to her brother, he was far too innocent for his own good. Honestly, how did he miss all the flirts that Rachel exchanged with him and the leers he got in camp? Sure, Jason seemed a bit dense, too in those false memories, but Naruto took dense and added a whole other layer to it. He had to be the most clueless boy on the planet – elsewhere, in his forced sleep, a raven haired teen sneezed and mumbled out the name Annabeth – and as one of the most down to earth sisters he had, Piper had a duty to protect him from hussies like Khione.

At one point, Khione caught the look Piper sent her and smirked at her, glancing at Jason for a moment. This succeeded in making Piper bristle and take a step closer to the son of Zeus.

"You know I knew a guy, at least I hope it was a guy, who could use ice." Naruto said, getting Khione's attention on him. "He had wind and water chakra natures and could mix them to make ice."

"Interesting...what happened to him?" Khione asked, genuinely curious. Naruto's smile dimmed and, despite herself, Piper felt pleased that Khione had upset him. Less likely for her to twist her brother around if he was depressed.

"He died protecting his most precious person, a man that took him in after his mother was killed by his father." Naruto said. Miu leaned forward and met his gaze, getting him to smile a bit at her. Piper smiled a bit at the sight. Sure Leo may have made fun of it, but it was a bit cute.

"That's so sad," said Khione, taking his free arm in her own to give him a comforting hug. "He sounds like a good person."

"Haku was the kindest person I knew." Naruto said, sighing. "I wish I knew him more than I did. And that I didn't think he was a girl when he first back. Yeah, could do without those memories."

"So a pretty boy...Hear that Zethes? I think Naruto may have known a descendant of yours!" Khione said.

"Laugh it up, Khione." Zethes said, scowling over his shoulder at his sister. He frowned even more when he saw the closeness between Piper and Jason. His gaze returned forward as they approached two large doors partially covered with frost. Zethes put his hands on either door and pushed them open. "Father! We have guests!"

"Merveilleux." The sturdily built man seated on the icy throne within the frosty room said. Like Cal and Zethes, the man had ice clinging to his hair and beard. He wore a snow white suit and had purple wings.

At sides of the room were ice sculptures of teens their age, making Naruto grip his staff tighter as they entered. He stood closer to Piper, in a sweet, but annoyingly protective manner. She could take care of herself. She caught Jason's nervous shifting and her courage began to falter. She could feel the cold air in the room go still.

This was a lot more nerve wracking than she thought it was going to be.

"What are you demigods doing here?" The man, no, god asked.

"We seek council with the lord of the North Wind, Boreas." Jason said as bravely as he could muster.

"You have it, godling." Boreas said, smirking at them. "Now, do you intend to waste my time or not?"

* * *

**AN: Thanks to those who read today and those who will read in the future! I must go snag me a copy of BoO before someone (****glares at Engineer)**** spoils it for me.**

**Also, don't forget that The Flash premieres tonight! Oh I'm so excited, the grand finale of one awesome thing and the beginning of another...This October ROCKS!**

**REVIEW!**


	6. The Motor City

**AN: Co-Written by Engineer4Ever**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Percy Jackson.**

**Fils de l'Amour: The Lost Hero**

**Chapter 6: The Motor City**

* * *

Naruto stared at the amused Boreas with a bit of awe. This guy felt just like Madara did after he absorbed the power of the Juubi and like Kaguya. This is what being in front of a god was like? Damn. Hard to believe he came from a being that powerful.

"Well?" Boreas asked looking a bit annoyed at their presence. "What brings three-?"

"Four, father. The fourth is waiting with Cal in the hall." Zethes said.

"Why is he out there?" Boreas asked, a frosted brow arching in question.

"He is of fire, father." Khione said with distaste. Boreas huffed in disgust and looked over the demigods once more.

"Then I must ask again, what brings these three before me?" he said. "Children of lesser gods deserve a swift and cold death...I could use some more décor."

"What did they do to deserve that?" Naruto asked, all eyes going to him. Boreas looked him over before giving a light smirk.

"A standing order my lord has given. You see, boy, my lord Aeolus is the one who controls the weather, gives us directions on where to blow our domains. He is angry with the gods. After the second Titanomachy, the defeat of Typhoon released many wind spirits that he now has to control. The over abundance of spirits was his last straw and he decreed that the children of the gods were to suffer his wrath. Hence, my decorations you see here."

"That's hardly fair." Naruto said with a frown. "Just because my mom is a god, I have to die?"

"Oui." Boreas said, prompting Zethes to grin and unsheathe his blade. Khione frowned.

"Wait, before you kill us! We came here to get directions to Aeolus in order to find Hera!" Jason said, stepping forward. Boreas' gaze shifted to him and his eyes narrowed.

"Hera's missing...You, boy, who is your sire?" he asked.

"Zeus is my father. Aphrodite is the mother of Piper," Jason said, gesturing to the girl on his left and then to the staff wielding blond further from him. "And Naruto."

"No wonder dear sister is smitten with the ruffian." Zethes said, smirking at his scowling sister.

"Really?" Boreas asked, eyeing the half-siblings with interest. He switched dialects, speaking another language that Naruto could understand. "So two children of the love goddess are before me? She wishes me to really decorate my home with the finest, I suppose."

"Oi! Watch it, Frosty." Naruto said with a scowl while Miu shrieked and flapped her wings threateningly. Boreas merely gave the blond his amused smirk.

"Now there's a heated reaction I'd expect of Lord Zeus' lineage." Boreas said, leaning forward to get a better look at the blond. "You have some in you. Deep down. A legacy?"

"Of Athena." Naruto said, his hand gripping the staff tighter. "So what?"

"No wonder you're so inquisitive." Boreas said, leaning back with a chuckle. "Hera's missing, hm? Consider yourself lucky boy. Aeolus told us to hear out a son of Zeus. So tell me. Why should I tell you where Aeolus is?"

"Um..." Jason began as all eyes fell to him. He fidgeted in his spot and nervously scratched at his tattoo, which seemed to be burning in Boreas' presence. The god's eyes followed Jason's movement before his eyes narrowed on the tattoo. His appearance changed, his face turned thinner and he miraculously shaved in under a second flat. His clothes changed into a toga with purple lining.

"Uh-oh." Zethes said, his eyes widening as did Khione's. "This...This is not good."

"You think?" Khione asked with a hiss. She looked to her father with a look of unease. "Aquilon...Always a pleasure."

"Khione." Aquilon said, nodding at her. He looked back at Jason. "Son of Jupiter. An honor. You wish to rescue Juno? To see my lord. Tell me, were you attacked prior to arriving here?"

"Yes! Er, I mean, yeah." Piper quickly said, as Jason seemed to stare in awe at the god. "A wind spirit, a total jerk attacked us at the Grand Canyon."

"Hm, yes. I received that report a few hours ago." Aquilon said, eyeing the demigods with interest. "...To get more answers, I would suggest going to the Windy City."

"You're just going to let them go!?" Zethes asked, appalled. "What about Aeolus' decree-?"

"His orders are nullified." Aquilon said, waving his son off. "There is more to this than just Aeolus' orders. A bigger threat than before rises. Let them leave."

"But Aquilon, I think keeping one would be more than enough." Khione said, drifting closer to Naruto with a small smile on her face. "You would be interested by this one. Born on the isle of the Letoides."

Aquilon arched a brow as his gaze went to Naruto. He shifted back to Boreas, his beard growing back just as quickly. Cracking his neck, Boreas grunted before looking hardly at the blond with the bird on his shoulder. "A Elemental...What is your element, boy?"

Naruto blinked before he held his free hand out and concentrated. A blue spiral started to appear in his hand, the diameter adding a wind blade to it. Naruto smiled at his mastery over his first self-created nature technique. "Fuuton: Rasengan."

Boreas laughed in amusement. "Wind nature. Brilliant. Yes, I should've assumed her child would've had that element. You're free to go, child of the moving continent."

"What about me, Jason and Leo?" Piper asked. Boreas regarded her for a moment before waving her off.

"I suppose I should let you go as well." He said with a huff.

"But father..." Khione said, getting the god of the north wind's attention. She lightly brushed her hand on Naruto's arm. "Might I keep this one? He'll make an excellent addition to the house..."

"If Khione gets to keep the ruffian, I wish to keep the girl!" Zethes said. The attack in Naruto's hand landed at his feet and Zethes quickly stumbled back, shielding his face. "You dare-!"

"If you touch my little sister, you'll lose more than a hand." Naruto said, his eyes narrowed and glaring at the immortal son of Boreas. Miu had her wings spread threateningly and shrieked at Zethes, siding with Naruto.

"I'd like to see you try!" Zethes said, seething as he reached for his blade.

"Zethes, enough!" Boreas barked, making his son back down. He held stern eyes on the smarter of his sons. "You are out of place, go with your brother and obtain some more pizza for the game on tonight."

"But father!"

"I said go." Boreas said, the room becoming deathly cold. Piper had taken a half step behind her brother while he gave the infamous Athena glare to the son of Boreas, something that had Jason frown a bit at. Miu shrieked at Zethes and Naruto tightened his grip on his staff, watching Zethes with steely cerulean eyes. Zethes glared at Naruto before leaving the room. The demigods stayed put, tense and wary, until Boreas sighed heavily.

"Always so headstrong, that one. He is extremely arrogant. Gets it from me, I suppose." Boreas said as he raised a hand to his head. "Leave now before I get an even larger headache."

"Thank you, Lord Boreas." Jason said after a moment of awkward uncertainty from the three.

"I'll escort you out." Khione said swiftly, coming up to Naruto's side and smiling at him, leading him out with the surprised duo watching. Piper's surprise quickly turned to a form of protective anger for her brother while Jason just followed after, feeling Boreas' gaze upon him.

After the two demigods left, Boreas sat back in his throne, looking at the frozen statues that surrounded his hall. His eyes closed and his hand went up to his head, rubbing it. He was wondering why the Queen of Olympus would do something that went completely against a decree of the Twelve, and then he was wondering just why a boy from the Isle of Leto was brought to the modern world. Something was going on and Boreas was not too pleased to be out of the loop.

* * *

"So that technique you showed my father, the one thrown at Zethes...what was that?" Khione asked, curious.

"The beginning step to one of my strongest techniques. Something my dad, a son of Athena, was not able to finish." Naruto said. He held his hand out again as they walked and made a Rasengan. "This is my dad's greatest jutsu...well, the second greatest. The Rasengan, it means spiraling ball. Nature chakra, which I told you about before, was meant to be added to the technique, but dad died before he could do it. My sensei, Kakashi, tried but instead ended up making his own technique out of the failed attempt. He helped me develop this, and it took me a war with a psycho and a fight for my life to figure out how to do this on my own."

"Sounds like a long story." Khione said, smiling lightly at him. "I wouldn't mind hearing it."

"It goes back around two hundred years I think. Time estimation in the Elemental Nations isn't exactly a precise science past a certain point." Naruto said apologetically.

"I've got time." Khione said, smiling as she sidled up to him.

"Yes, but unfortunately he doesn't." Piper said, appearing at Naruto's other side and grabbing his wrist, pulling him along. "Come on, Naruto."

"Ow! Piper! What'd I do?" the older child of Aphrodite asked as he hurried after his sister. Jason sped up so as not to be left behind, leaving the chilly air that was surrounding the displeased looking Khione.

"You need to learn how to avoid large cats, Naruto." Piper said under her breath.

"What does that mean?" Naruto asked.

"It doesn't matter." Piper said, looking at Leo as he fiddled with Festus' wing. "Get the dragon ready. We're going to Chicago."

"Why?" Leo asked, tightening a bolt.

"Because that's what Boreas said to do." Jason said as Piper pulled Naruto to the dragon. He got on without any prompting, grumbling to Miu about mean little sisters. He got a shriek of agreement. Leo and Jason shared a look before shrugging it off and joining the grumbling Piper on the dragon, Jason sitting in front of her behind Leo while Naruto sat with his legs crossed.

"Now I have a new job to worry about..." Piper said, catching Jason's attention.

"What job is that?" he asked. Piper just huffed.

"Babysitting."

Naruto rolled his eyes, looking back at the hotel as Festus disembarked.

* * *

In the window stood the snow goddess, watching the bronze dragon fly off towards the south. Her lips curled up in a small smile and her eyes glazed over slightly. They were an interesting group that was for sure. The son of Hephaestus was...a nuisance, but the two blonds were delicious. She frowned. If only Aphrodite's daughter hadn't got in her way. Oh well, four is an unlucky number for questers. Perhaps Khione will be able to snag him later.

If he lived that long, anyway.

* * *

"Piper, wake up!" Naruto said, jolting his sister from her sleep. Piper gasped as Festus jerked, suddenly going down. Leo struggled to regain control, yelling in Spanish at the diving dragon. Naruto stood on the back of Festus, easily keeping his balance while Miu took off from his shoulder. They were seconds from the ground and if he moved fast, Naruto could use his clones to jump the rest of them to safety. Well, he would've done that if Jason didn't grab Leo and Piper, hovering in midair like Kaguya, Madara and even he himself had done during the fourth war.

...Well dammit now he missed Kurama's cloak even more. That Sage/Cloak mode was awesome. And hovering midair...Damn, the pranks he could do!

"Naruto!" Piper said. Jason looked down, in his rush to save the group he momentarily forgot about Naruto. To the three demigods, it looked like Naruto was about to become a pavement pancake. Then, he did something physically impossible.

Naruto jumped to the roof of a nearby small building. His landing made the roof make a crack that looked like a spider web beneath his feet. The blond sage stood from his crouch, the position used to brace himself and keep from shattering his legs on impact. Naruto turned to watch Festus hit the ground, wincing in sympathy while Leo cried out in concern for his dragon. Jason slowly descended down to the ground while Naruto hopped over the edge and landed on a knee, using his staff to help brace himself for the landing.

"Festus!" Leo said in concern for his dragon. "Aw, buddy...what happened to ya?"

"Well, based on the pieces there and there...I'd say he fell when he should've flown." Naruto said, getting a mild glare. "What? Sarcasm is the one class I aced in the academy."

"Funny. Now do me a favor and give me those robot parts in your body, mister impossible."

"What's a robot?" Naruto asked, getting a scowl from Leo as he turned to his dragon. "What?"

"What academy are you talking about?" Piper asked her brother.

"The ninja academy of course. It's where I learned to be awesome." Naruto said jovially.

"Hey, be a little courteous here! Festus is really hurt!" Leo said, looking annoyed at the two children of Aphrodite.

"Leo, relax. You can fix him, right?" Jason asked, trying to play peacekeeper. Leo huffed and looked back at his dragon, reaching into his belt to pull something out. Jason shook his head. "Alright, first things first, we need to find out where we are, and we need to help Leo fix Festus."

"I'll find a sign or something I guess." Naruto said, walking off as Miu landed on his shoulder. "Piper, go with Jason. Help Leo out."

"Fine. Don't talk to strangers!" Piper said, making Naruto snort. She and Jason walked off in the other direction, leaving Leo alone to work on Festus.

"I'll be fine." The son of Hephaestus said, pulling a disk out and dropping it immediately. "Jeez!"

The disk was completely iced over, colder than anything else he had ever touched before in his life. Leo glared at it before reaching into his belt and pulling out a pair of tongs, using them to pick the disk up. This was the control disk that made Festus work properly. There was no way it could've frozen over so quickly, especially with how Festus was flying from Quebec.

"My, oh my how could that have happened?"

Leo jumped where he sat and looked around for the owner of the voice.

"Here, Leo. Right here."

Leo looked at the disk and jumped, a visage of a woman with closed eyes facing him, a serene smile on her face. It was a familiar woman, a woman he saw once in his mom's workshop. Her lips parted slightly as she spoke.

"Hello again, Leo." She said softly. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"You..." Leo said, glaring at the visage of the woman through the disk. "Who are you? How are you doing this?"

"All elements that appear on this planet fall under my domain, no matter what they are. Granted, I prefer the warm, cushiony dirt to this cold hard metal, it's much easier to talk to you this way." She said.

"Who are you!?" Leo asked, standing as he glared at the woman.

"My what a temper you have. Must get it from Zeus, I hear all of his tantrums, even as I slumber." The woman said. "Why not make this easier on yourself and just leave after you fix the dragon?"

"Why would I leave Jason and Piper behind? They're my friends." Leo said, glaring at her.

"Are they?" the woman asked. "How do you know they won't just leave you behind like your mother did?"

Leo's eyes narrowed further and he tightly gripped the disk. "I'm done talking to you, lady."

"Oh no, Leo. I'm afraid we'll be seeing each other quite a lot in the coming year." The woman said, her eyes starting to open. Leo never saw what they looked like, instead melting the ice with his burning hands. The last thing he saw was the melting smile on the woman's face. "Oh yes. We'll be seeing each other quite a lot."

Leo scowled as the ice melted away.

What a bitch.

* * *

"Well that makes perfect sense." Naruto said dryly as he looked at the giant billboard across from his perch on the roof of a small building. It was some strange English word, one he couldn't read. TEIROTD. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Detroit." Naruto swiveled around to find the source of the childlike voice. His eyes landed on a little girl with green and black eyes like the woman he saw before. She was sitting on the edge of an air conditioning unit. She was barefoot and wearing a green dress that matched her eyes. "It's a unique city. Much like how you're a unique boy."

"Are you supposed to be up this late?" Naruto asked, getting the girl to tilt her head, her raven locks bouncing as she did.

"You look a lot like him when he was your age." The girl said with a small smile. "He was nice then."

"Who?" Naruto asked. The girl just laughed.

"I like you. You're interesting." She said with a smile. Her face seemed to crumble a bit and Naruto became wary.

"Doton Kage Bunshin?" Naruto said under his breath, thinking the girl was a sort of earth clone. The girl's smile widened and she started to visibly crumble away.

"You're so interesting, Naruto Uzumaki. Just like he was a long time ago." She said before she crumpled completely into dust, blowing away in the wind like she was never there.

Naruto just stared at her spot until being snapped from his gaze by Miu's returning cry, landing on his shoulder with a crumpled piece of paper in her beak. She dropped it into his open hand, nuzzling into his cheek after doing so. Naruto gave her a gentle stroke on the beak, the strange girl, who he dubbed Tsuchi, still in his mind. He unraveled the paper and looked at the Japanese characters painted on it.

"'Free Milkshakes'?" Naruto read the characters with an arched brow. He gave his companion a bemused look. "Is this supposed to help me?"

Miu just looked back at him and Naruto shook his head, tucking the piece of paper in his back pocket. At least her heart was in the right place. He decided to head back to Leo, intent on telling him they were in Detroit, wherever that was, and seeing if the dragon was fixed.

* * *

By the time Naruto got back to Leo, the elfish boy was tinkering with the wing he was trying to fix before in Quebec.

"Any luck?" Naruto asked, making Leo jump for a second and give the shinobi a glare.

"Geez, dude, how hard is it to make a sound?" Leo asked, getting an impish grin from the taller blond. Leo rolled his eyes and went back to the wing. "Since you asked, I'm just adjusting this wing a bit. It's too stiff and Festus will fly better with a more flexible wing. Should be ready to go after that."

"Cool." Naruto said with an interested look on his face. "I don't really understand this technology stuff. I mean, the most advanced thing I ever saw back home was a train I think. And that was an isolated train in the northern part of the continent."

"That's tragic." Leo said with a shudder. "So you have no TV or computers?"

"Nope."

"...Dude, how did you live with yourself?"

"I trained mostly." Naruto shrugged. "Sparred with my friends, worked on Senjutsu, and tried to get a grasp on Fuinjutsu. Still working on that last one when I have free time."

"So you have no experience with any of this?" Leo asked.

"Well I tried arts and crafts once, tried to make some kunai." Naruto said, looking a bit downcast. "I'm not so good at it. Nyssa's trying to help me with private lessons she insisted on giving me."

"Yeah, I'll bet she did." Leo said, looking a bit green at the thought. He shook his head and gave Naruto a curious look. "Naruto, I got a question for you. You got a wingman?"

"A what?" Naruto asked, blinking in confusion.

"I'll take that as a no." Leo said, grinning. "Well consider the position occupied, now. If anyone asks, just say Leo Valdez is your wingman. Okay?"

"Sure." Naruto said, grinning back. He had no idea what a wingman was, but from what Leo said, the sage guessed it was like a sort of friend that had your back. And more friends were always a plus in Naruto's book. He watched Leo finish tightening a bolt before the elfish son of Hephaestus tucked his socket wrench into his belt.

"Done. Now, let's go see what's taking the lovebirds so long." Leo said, snorting in amusement. Naruto arched a brow.

"What do you mean? I know Piper likes Jason, but..." he asked.

Leo blinked before rubbing the back of his neck. "Oh yeah...Well, see...the thing is, in our messed up memories Piper and Jay...well...They were sort of...a thing."

"I know that..." Naruto said, his hand tightening around the staff he walked with. "And thanks for the reminder."

"Well, anyway, I was just trying to make a joke. You know, lovebirds? Jason's the son of Zeus, who has an eagle and Piper's..."

"Oh...Heh, that's a good one." Naruto said, giving a light snicker.

"Don't have to tell me twice." Leo said, chuckling as he led Naruto in the direction Piper and Jason walked off in. They continued to walk down the street, Leo making the occasional joke that had Naruto chuckling or asking what he meant while Miu scoured the city from the sky. They eventually came across a rundown warehouse that Miu had perched herself outside of. Naruto stopped at her side and ran a gentle hand down her beak in greeting. Leo had a mallet at the ready, twirling it anxiously in his grip. "Think they're in there?"

Naruto didn't answer, preferring to close his eyes and listen. He heard the surrounding city, using his chakra to enhance his hearing just slightly to become similar to a canine's, a trick Kakashi taught him after the war during the rebuilding in an effort to find survivors in wreckage or collapsed buildings.

"_Put him down!"_

"_Quiet, Venus spawn! You're next."_

"_Yeah! We'll eat you next. Girl, stop struggling. Ma's hungry!"_

"_I am indeed, sons of mine. Get that brat of Jupiter on the skewer."_

"_No! Jason! Wake up!"_

"They're in there." Naruto said, his eyes snapping open as he gripped his staff with both hands and twisted, the poles separating. "Miu stay out here. Leo, got a good bronze hammer in that belt of yours?"

"Bronze?" Leo asked, reaching into his belt and digging around before pulling out a large sledgehammer that had a bronze head. His mallet was placed in the pocket in the sledgehammer's place. "Like this?"

"Perfect. We've got at least three enemies. Jason's out and Piper's probably bound." Naruto said as they crouched down and crept closer. Naruto reached the closed garage and slowly lifted the garage door so they could see what's going on.

Leo's breathing increased despite himself, fear gripping him for the first time as his eyes landed on the three monsters that were lumbering around in the warehouse. The tallest was twelve feet at most, while the two shorter ones stood at ten feet. And each of them only had one eye.

"Oh god, er, gods...whatever. What are they?" Leo asked softly. Naruto glanced to him out of the corner of his eyes.

"Cyclopes." He said, looking back at the three monsters. "Monster giants that have one eye. There's a few that are born from gods or titans that helped the Olympians and helped your father in the forge. These ones are the other kind, though."

"There's another kind?"

"Demigod eaters."

"Oh...wonderful."

Naruto looked at Leo and saw the son of Hephaestus swallow in worry, his eyes slightly dilated in fear. Naruto gained the elfish teen's attention by placing a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, relax. I won't let my comrades die, and if I have to, I'll protect you with my life. Trust me."

He said it with such a bright confident grin that Leo started to feel confident in himself, that he could do this. He gave a grin back and looked into the warehouse, looking at the surroundings rather than the monsters and ignoring their cheers for food. A second ticked by before Leo said those four famous words.

"I've got an idea."

* * *

"Sump! Get Ma some salsa!" One of the Cyclopes yelled as Naruto snuck in through the second balcony window. He looked over to the garage door where Leo was crouched by. The son of Hephaestus pointed at one of the cranes in the corner and then another closer to the Cyclopes digging through three large sacks. Naruto looked at the square piece of wire and metal in his hand, a large piece of something Leo called Silly Putty sticking to the back. With careful aim, Naruto tossed it at the crane closest to the Cyclops in the corner, where it landed with a wet clang. The Cyclops ignored it and Naruto gave Leo a thumbs up.

Leo gave the gesture back before fiddling with the device in his hand, a sort of remote control that he threw together with pieces he had in his belt and some toys thrown out in the dumpster nearby. Now all he had to do was get the Cyclopes' eyes off of Jason and Piper so Naruto could get them out. He flipped a switch and grinned impishly as the sound of a crane turning on hit his knife-like ears.

"Santa came early this year, jerks." Leo said, grinning as he watched the crane come alive. He made it swing back just as Sump turned to look at it. The Cyclops' eye went wide as the crane arm swung forward, the hook impaling him in the gullet while the arm itself spun him through one of the support beams and into the metal canisters stacked in the back.

"Sump! Torque, go get your brother! I'll stop whatever meat is causing this." The one known as Ma said. Naruto waited for the two Cyclopes to move before he jumped down and landed next to his sister.

"Naru-umph!" Piper was shushed as a hand clapped onto her mouth. Naruto lifted his finger to his lips before undoing her binds with one of his staves, the other tucked in his belt behind him. As soon as Piper was free, he pointed her in Leo's direction before going to the heavily sweating Jason. The poor son of 'Zeus' was on a spit, dangling over a fire pit. How the mortals didn't notice this, Naruto hadn't a clue, but he knew Jason was looking just a bit too golden. He couldn't just cut the bound boy off into the fire, so Naruto had to push the spit over where it clanged to the ground. That certainly got the Cyclopes' attention.

"Another demigod!" Ma said, glaring at him with her one eye.

"He's takin' dinner, Ma!"

"I can see that, Torque! Let's stop him!"

"Great." Naruto said with a grunt as he cut Jason free. Lifting his hand up, Naruto smacked Jason across the face. "Wake up!"

"Ow! What the heck-?" Jason started, only to be cut off as Naruto pulled him to his feet.

"No time. We have to go. Now!" Naruto said, pulling Jason by the arm to the garage door where Piper and Leo waited. Naruto pushed the younger blond in front of him and turned around to face the two Cyclopes. Jason slowed to a stop, reaching in his pocket for his coin. Naruto looked over his shoulder and shouted at him. "No! Just go! I'll catch up!"

"I'm not leaving you behind to fight alone!" Jason said. Naruto grinned at that and held his hands up in front of him, his index and middle fingers forming a cross.

"I'm never alone."

The warehouse filled with smoke and the three demigods found themselves witnesses to something amazing. The Cyclopes were being dog piled by a swarm of orange clones, definitely massing in over fifty in number. Naruto, one of them at least, was stabbing Ma through the foot with his stave when he looked up. "Go! I'll catch up later, just go!"

"He really is a one man army." Piper said in awe. Leo ran past her and grabbed Jason's wrist, pulling him out of the warehouse before grabbing Piper's and pulling them with him. He let go after they cleared a few feet, breaking into a run.

"Come on! You heard, Naruto! We've got to go!" Leo said over his shoulder. Piper and Jason exchanged a look, looked back at the warehouse, and then ran back to the warehouse, making Leo stop and grab at his head. "Argh! Why does everyone have to be a hero!?"

The three of them stopped as the side of the warehouse exploded, a good dozen and a half of orange bodies flying out and landing on the street before exploding into clouds of smoke. Jason had his coin out at the ready and Piper was holding her dagger. Out stumbled the shorter of the two Cyclopes, Torque, holding his head and covered in dust.

"Stupid barrels...stupid fire...Told Sump not to put fire dere. Does he listen?" Torque grumbled. He looked up at the tree demigods and glared at them. "Orange brat fightin' Ma, so I guess dat leaves me to fight you three."

"Jay, wanna do some thunder god kid stuff and zap this guy?" Leo asked. Jason flipped his coin in preparation to do that, but was sent flying before he could catch it by a piece of rubble being kicked to his gut. Leo looked at the pinned and struggling Jason and then back at the Cyclops. "You friggin...!"

"Torque! Ma figured it out!" the taller Cyclops said as she walked out with the struggling Naruto in her grasp. "Hit the orange brats hard enough and they go up in smoke! It's Magic! Gots ourselves a son of Trivia here."

"Mm...Magic meat is yummy." Torque said, grinning at the demigod in Ma's hand.

"I'm _not_ a son of Trivia!" Naruto said, glaring at Torque.

"Meat is meat." Torque said in return as he took the boy from Ma, squeezing him in his two hands. Naruto felt his ribs being crushed and bit on his cheek to keep from screaming or biting his tongue.

"Well...that's not good." Leo said under his breath, backing up to stand near Jason as the son of 'Zeus' struggled underneath the debris pinning him down.

"Put him down!" Piper said to the Cyclops. Torque looked at her and she repeated herself. "I said put him down! _Now_!"

"...Okay." Torque said, starting to lessen his grip. Ma grabbed Torque's wrist and hissed at him.

"What the Pit is wrong with you!?" She asked, snatching Naruto back from her son. "You fool! She's a Venus brat. Got that special talking thing, messin' with your head."

"Sorry Ma. I'll hold him again."

"Not like I'll give ya the chance!" Ma said with a glare locked on Torque, who flinched under her angered gaze. She nodded and looked back at the groaning blond in her grasp. "Usually I like em cooked and with salsa, but a few raw here and there ain't so bad."

Piper easily guessed what she was thinking, as did Jason and Leo, the three of them watching in horror as Naruto was brought headfirst to Ma's mouth. Ma chomped down, a sickening crack filling the air as she did accompanied by Piper's scream. Ma's smug smirk was turned into a look of confusion then pain as she started to cough, smoke leaving her mouth and her hand.

"Phew, that was close."

The three demigods looked above them, where on the side of a building stood the blond son of Aphrodite, watching the Cyclops hack on the wisps of smoke that remained from his clone. He was glad to see the three show the same dynamics a good team would have, but he was a bit miffed Jason and Piper didn't trust him to handle himself like Leo did. Then again, it wasn't like he offered his plan forward to them like he did Leo...well, partially anyway. Letting Ma dispel his clones and take a 'real' one hostage after he blew up part of the building with a improvised explosion from the Bunshin Daibakuha (Great Clone Explosion) was a spur of the moment decision, but he wanted to see just how good team dynamics were.

"Dude...When was _that_ part of the plan!?" Leo asked, looking severely annoyed. "I thought the plan was distract the Cyclopes, get Jason and Piper out, let you distract them until we get to Festus with that clone you left there and _then_ you'd blow up the warehouse!"

"Meh, I improvised." Naruto said, shrugging.

"Ass."

"Hey! That's not nice, Leo." Naruto said, frowning. "Besides, I have a great ass! Nyssa said so."

"Dude!"

"What?"

"That's my sister!"

"What? That's what she said!" Naruto said innocently, obviously confused as to why Leo was mad at him. While Leo visibly restrained himself from throwing his sledgehammer at the blond, Piper was having her own inner dilemma. Did she hug Naruto in relief that he was alive or choke him for scaring her half to death?

"Enough!" Ma shouted, looking rightly pissed off at the whiskered blond. "I'll slaughter you first, I won't even defile my stomach with your skin!"

"...Thanks?" Naruto said, sounding confused before snapping his fingers. "Oh, right! I forgot something."

"What now?!" Ma asked.

"Jason, you can get up now." Naruto said, grinning as the debris pinning Jason down exploded into smoke. Jason gaped for a second before he scrambled to get to his feet. He grinned as the two Cyclopes looked at the rising and sparking son of Zeus with mild concern. "I _love_ the Henge no Jutsu."

Jason got to his feet and walked forward where his coin was on the ground. Torque glared at him and charged forward. Jason gave the coin a small flip, catching it and letting it unfold out into a sword, which he used to slice through the cyclops' thick leg. Torque let out a pain-filled cry as he crumpled to the ground. The monster's cry was silenced when Naruto landed next to the Cyclops' head in a crouch, one of his staves impaling the creature through his sole eye, right into the brain. Torque fidgeted for a moment before going still.

"You little shits!" Ma said, looking livid. "I'll skin the both of you and return you to your parents!"

"...Not a smart move on your part." Naruto said, knowing just how offensive that was. He stood up and pulled his stave out of Torque's head, watching as the Cyclops slowly turned to dust. He arched a brow and looked back at Ma. "I got a question for you. How good are you at counting?"

"What does that have to do with anything!?" Ma asked. She was stalking forward with the full intention of making good on her plans.

"Everything." Naruto said as five clones attacked her from behind. They impaled her hands and feet with their staves while the original Naruto reconnected his staves together and turned to face Leo. "Would you like the honors?"

"...Do you really have to ask?" Leo said, walking forward and spinning his sledgehammer in his hand. He brought the sledgehammer back and swung it into Ma's head, caving in her forehead and getting splattered with black goo. "...Ugh...It's in my mouth."

Piper looked disgusted while Naruto laughed at the now hacking Leo, the blond's clones bursting into smoke while Ma slowly turned to golden dust. Jason shook his head in disbelief and opened his mouth to say something when his blue eyes locked on something very troubling.

"Uh...Is it me, or is he reforming?" Jason asked, pointing at where Torque lay. Sure enough, the gold dust that had slowly been made was equally slowly going back to where it was, reforming the monster it used to be.

"That's not good." Leo said, after wiping the black goo off his face. "That doesn't usually happen does it?"

"No. That's not supposed to happen at all. We need to go." Naruto said.

"Right behind you." Piper said, following her brother as he burst into a slow run. Jason and Leo swiftly followed after her. They got to Festus, who Leo took all but a second to power up, and climbed aboard before taking to the skies. Below them, there was an angered shout in Latin, then English calling for the blood of the 'Whiskered Warrior.'

"...Way to go, Naruto. You're now a kiddie superhero."

"Funny, Leo." Naruto said, chuckling. He yelped when he got elbowed harshly in the side. "Ow! Piper what was that for!?"

"_That_, Naruto, was for making me think you got eaten. Jerk."

Naruto would spend most of the flight trying to get back in his sister's good graces.

* * *

**AN: I'm in a fantastic mood. Nuff said.**

**Review!**


	7. Cities, Sewers and a Princess

**AN: Co-Written by Engineer4Ever**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Percy Jackson.**

**Fils de l'Amour: The Lost Hero**

**Chapter 7: Windy Cities, Smelly Sewers and the Underground Princess**

* * *

"You can't honestly still be mad at me." Naruto said from where he sat behind Piper. He had been trying for the whole flight to get her to drop the cold shoulder act. During his attempts, Leo told Jason about the woman he saw and the reason Festus wasn't working. Jason suggested they keep an eye out for the woman wherever they could. The daughter of Aphrodite turned around and glared at her brother, jabbing him in the chest with her finger.

"You faked your death." Piper said, her kaleidoscopic eyes narrowed and appearing a frightening shade of red. "And then used that to 'test' us. I have _every_ right to be mad at you!"

"...Yeah, but not talking to me isn't going to help with the quest." Naruto said.

From the front of their entourage, Leo snorted. "Dude, I would just drop it."

Piper glowered at her brother, ignoring Leo's comment. "Naruto, you pretended to be dead. What the hell gave you that bright idea?"

"My sensei!" Naruto said with a grin. "Kakashi-sensei did the same thing to me and my team on our first mission outside the village. I froze up and almost got myself killed. I needed to see how you guys would've reacted."

Piper opened and closed her mouth for a second before pouting and looking away. Her eyes went to the horse-like spirit that Festus was following and she huffed. "I'm still mad at you."

Naruto let a laugh escape him before he patted Piper on the head, getting her to pout at him. "Stop it! I'm not a kid!"

"Maa, you are in my eyes." Naruto said, pressing two fingers into her forehead in a light tap. "Imouto."

"We need to focus." Jason said, his eyes following the ventus that had been leading them to Chicago while Piper pushed Naruto back and he laughed. Jason patted Leo's shoulder "Might as well try to get some sleep. The dragon will follow the ventus right?"

"Yeah, Festus will watch him." Leo said, he leaned forward and looked back. "You won't let me fall?"

"No Leo."

"You're sure? Because I remember someone letting someone else fall."

"I won't let you fall, Leo."

"Oh good." Leo let his eyes fall shut. "I was worried for a second there."

A few hours afterward Naruto suggested the other two get some sleep after Leo woke up. He sent a pulse of chakra through Festus that would keep Jason and Piper attached to the bronze dragon. Leo was talking about some story he read about a ninja called Snake Eyes or something. Naruto tuned him out, considering the sage wasn't a fan of snakes, even if that wasn't his mom's beef.

Then again, most of his sisters seemed to think snakes were gross.

Naruto leaned back, his head resting on the lower spine of Festus, and stared up at the clouds. They were dark and ugly, not the usual white fluffs that he had come to appreciate alongside Shikamaru in Konoha. Blue eyes drifted shut for but a moment, snapping open with pupils that had slitted slightly.

Kurama was stirring.

The question now was _why_?

Kurama had told Naruto that he had to reintegrate himself back into his former Jinchuriki's chakra coils and that it would take a while, but if there were any danger, Kurama would know and would wake again to help Naruto when he needed it most. Considering that Naruto was seen as a monster among shinobi, even without his biju-laden talents, the blond was a bit afraid that he would be unable to speak to his friend again. Naruto lifted his hand and focused on the palm, pulling on the small pulse he felt. He stared at his palm for what felt like hours before a small orange flame of chakra appeared in the center, right over the circular tattoo.

_Kurama?_ Naruto asked, his hopes rising.

Just like that, they dashed as the chakra dispersed into the air when Festus suddenly dove. Naruto shot upward, grabbing Piper and Jason before their necks snapped from the whiplash. Holding the two teens by the back of their shirts, Naruto glared past them at his pilot.

"What the hell are you doing!?"

"We're coming into Chicago air! Did you miss the giant plane flying over us?" Leo asked.

Jason and Piper stirred from the force of wind hitting them until Leo pulled up. Jason shook his head. "What happened?"

"Welcome to the Windy City, Jason!" Leo said. He sounded a bit haggard. "Everything you expected?"

"If you mean swarming with venti, then yes. Yes it is." Jason said as their chosen target had lost itself in a swarm above a fountain that had two monoliths. The monoliths had television screens that were shining an image of a woman's face, the fountains themselves spitting water out from where her lips were.

"Great. Her again." Leo said under his breath.

"Tsuchi?" Naruto said, squinting at the image. He blinked at the weird looks he got. "Some kid found me when me and Miu were looking around. She was a Doton Kage Bunshin, an earth shadow clone. That picture looks like her, only older."

"She's got an eye on us, that's for sure." Leo said, frowning.

"Beware the earth..." Jason said under his breath, making Naruto blink in confusion. Now why would they go and do a thing like that?

"So what now?" Piper asked, looking at Jason. Naruto joined her, curious to how Jason will make his move.

"They're going down that hole." Jason said.

"Don't say it." Leo said under his breath.

"We need to go down that hole." Jason said, ignoring Leo.

"...I knew you were going to say it. I was hoping, but I knew it was a stretch." Leo said, letting a groan escape his lips. He pulled on the reins. "I'll land somewhere. Personally, I don't want to try jumping from this high up into the small hole."

"I was going to suggest we check it out on foot." Jason said.

* * *

They had landed in a park covered in a white blanket of snow next to a frozen lake. Naruto embraced it as best he could and investigated the trees, coming across a sign said the area was called Grant Park. So cities had parks in them that left some nature to the area? Good to know. He thought it was a bit backwards, though. Naruto would've preferred it be more like Konoha, where the forest enveloped the cities, nature surrounding them.

"Is that supposed to happen?" Jason asked, pointing at the flickering light in Festus' eye.

Leo paused and pulled a rubber mallet out and whacked the eye, fixing it back to normal. "Yep." He said. A hand rested on the dragon. "Festus can't stay out here, though. He'll have to circle the city."

"What if we need to make a quick escape like with the cyclops?" Naruto asked.

Leo started to dig around in his tool belt. He gave a grin as he whipped out a giant orange whistle. The son of Hephaestus turned to the dragon. "Festus, listen up boy. When I blow this whistle, come as fast as you can, okay? Here, this is what it sounds like."

The whistle probably blew out Jason and Piper's eardrums, but it outright shattered Naruto's hearing and sent Miu off into the sky. The ninja fell to his back, clutching at his ears and hearing nothing but buzzing. He groaned and got to his feet, sticking his pinky finger in his left ear and wiggling it around.

Piper turned to him and said something. He stared at her for a moment.

"What!?"

* * *

"...you hear us yet?" Leo asked. They were in the middle of climbing down the maintenance ladder in the larger drain they saw earlier near the fountain, which was called Crown Fountain. Naruto found it interesting that when he stepped into the fountain's view, the image would shift to Tsuchi's familiar face. He would step out of view and it would turn into the older Tsuchi again. It struck Naruto odd, but Piper got sick of the screen frizzing and forced him to go down after Jason.

"Yeah, I've got a faint buzzing in the right ear, but it's all clear in the left." Naruto said, grinning. They were following Jason for some reason, heading down one specific tunnel. "So what'd I miss?"

"Piper's got a small sprain from the warehouse. Decided to keep it quiet until we got off Festus. When you were playing with 'Zoo-chi', she had a sip of nectar." Leo said. Naruto glanced at Piper's ankle before looking back at Leo. "Seems she didn't get enough, because she just stumbled."

"Of course after I look away." Naruto said, rolling his eyes.

"Let's rest." Jason suggested. "We've gone for hours nonstop and fought without any real food."

"I offered to have Miu catch some smaller birds." Naruto said, getting a look from Piper. "What?"

"I thought you were a sage." Piper said, frowning at him. "How could you suggest that?"

"I make use of everything and burn what remains." Naruto said. "It's a shinobi rule. Leave no trace."

"But...it's alive..." Piper said.

"And all living things die." Naruto said, shrugging it off. They picked a small portion of the walkway to take a seat at, Leo digging through his belt for any useful items he needed to make some food.

"Not the gods." Jason said.

"Then why were they afraid of Kronos?" Naruto asked. "Gods can die. Pan faded, the natural death of a god. His domain was attacked too much and humanity lost faith in him, stopped believing, as it were. So, yes, Jason, even gods can die."

He looked at his hand and clenched it into a fist. "I've killed one myself."

The younger three gave him curious looks, Leo whistling in awe.

"How'd you do that?" he asked from where he messed with a skillet.

"He didn't." Jason said in disbelief. "You...I mean, they're gods, right? You can't..."

"Not a _Greek_ god." Naruto said, correcting himself. "I'm not really sure if she was a god or a monster. She's considered the originator of chakra, the mother of the first ninshu master, Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki. From dad's side, I'm a descendant of his."

"Nin...shoe? Wow, what did he fight with boots and sell sneakers?" Leo asked.

"Ninshu was a spiritual method of fighting, I think the Old Man Sage said something about it being a way to bring people together." Naruto said, shrugging. "I dunno, wasn't really paying attention. All I know is that ninshu turned into ninjutsu, which is what I use to fight. Anyway, she turned out to be manipulating this long dead dude and took his body over with the help of her creation Zetsu, who'd been deformed over time into a shadow. I personally punted the freak into a giant satellite before we launched the fucker into space."

"Awesome." Leo said, stirring the food. "So what'd she look like?"

"...Depends on what she felt like." Naruto said after a moment. "She was either really pretty or a giant shellfish."

"...Giant...Shellfish..." Piper said.

"Yeah, but her choice in appearance aside, she could manipulate reality." Naruto gained a hardened look at this. "She was very hard to fight and if it wasn't for a few special gifts from Old Man Sage, I probably would've lost. Her trump card was making a giant chakra-devouring tree that had captured all of the shinobi fighting against her. It almost killed everyone, but my team stopped her. Granted my friend went a little power mad, I had to beat some sense back into him before he helped us return everything to normal. I personally destroyed her left arm before using a technique that ended it. Her remains were sucked into the satellite with Zetsu."

"...That's not killing her, though is it?" Leo asked.

"It's what Zeus did to Kronos. Kind of..." Naruto said. He looked at his stomach before moving his hand, an action that wasn't lost on the others. "I almost lost a close friend several times that day."

"...Dark." Leo said.

"This chakra stuff...you got it from your dad, right?" Jason asked. Leo gained an uncomfortable look on his face.

"Yeah." Naruto said, sitting back on his hands and thinking about the sacrifices his father made for him. He had a small smile on his face. "My dad's awesome."

"Argument aside, food's done! Let's eat!" Leo said. "Chef Leo's Garbage Tacos! And before you ask, miss picky eater, its tofu, not beef."

"No meat?" Naruto asked his sister.

"I'm a vegetarian." Piper said.

"Don't get her started." Leo said, rolling his eyes. "Seriously, she's trying to slowly convert all of us. Beware the anti-cow woman...beware..."

"Shut up, Valdez." Piper said, frowning at him. She looked at Naruto. "You should try. It's healthier."

"Would that mean I'd have to quit ramen?"

"...Maybe, but-"

"If there's even a _chance_ of quitting ramen, count me out."

* * *

Naruto picked a small bit of tofu up and tossed it to a small ledge where a large rat sat. The meal was _amazing_. Leo had quite the talent for cooking, even if it wasn't up to par on Naruto's personal tastes.

Ichiraku Ramen.

It was nectar and ambrosia in disguise. It just _had_ to be.

"Not bad, Leo." Jason said. They sat in a comfortable silence around the fire, drinking the lemonade Leo made from canteen water and powder mix. Jason wiped the nozzle off and took a drink before passing it on to Piper. He looked at the fire for a minute before looking at Leo. "Leo...that stuff you did with the fire...is it true?"

Leo said nothing before lifting his hand up to the fire and letting a small orb dance around his hand. "You tell me."

"That's...awesome." Jason said. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Didn't want to be called a freak." Leo said. Naruto snorted at that. If anything, this was the last group to say that to.

"Leo...Jason can live through being hit by lightning and flies. Naruto spams clones of himself like it's an everyday thing." Piper said, getting a chuckle from her brother.

"And Piper can make gods turn their heads." Jason said, getting the girl to fluster at him. "What? You can."

"Watch it, flyboy." Naruto said. He was playing with the only kunai that he had with him. Jason took the hint and returned his attention to Leo.

"The point is, that's a really cool thing you can do." Jason said.

Leo scoffed and let the fire on his hand snuff itself out. "No. No it's not. Nyssa told me about children of Hephaestus who can use fire. Bad things usually happen whenever one pops up. Like, really bad things. Catastrophic things." He looked at the fire, eyes narrowed. "I was cursed."

"Or maybe you were blessed." Piper said. Leo gave her a look that showed he disagreed with her. "Maybe the bad things happen and the gifts are needed to stop them."

"The Fire of London in 1666 was caused by a son of Hephaestus." Leo said, as if that explained it all.

"So?" Naruto asked. "One kid couldn't handle it. Does that mean that you have no control?"

"No...but when I was younger..." Leo trailed off. Naruto leaned over a put a hand on his shoulder.

"Leo, if you did something when you were younger, that's because you were inexperienced and it was an accident." Naruto said softly. He put his hand on his stomach. "I know what it means to be cursed with great power. Before he gave his life for my village, my father did something incredible. He stopped a monster and left its power for me to use. The village at first saw me as the monster in question, that caused so many lives to be lost, and it made me into an outcast."

"Real supportive." Leo said under his breath.

"But I got their attention." Naruto said, ignoring Leo's mumble. He grinned proudly. "I showed them that I would never give up, that I would strive to be the best and lead them like my father did. I mastered my father's curse and turned it into a blessing."

"...How?" Leo asked.

"I _accepted_ it as a part of me." Naruto said, sitting upright with a content smile on his face. "If you can't accept it, then it will consume you. You're stronger than that, Leo. Whatever happened in the past is beyond your control now, but you're the one who walks the path forward. So will you let your fire guide you, or will you guide your fire?"

Leo looked stunned and turned away, looking back at the fire. "Wow...get that off a fortune cookie?"

"A what?" Naruto asked.

"I'll tell you later." Piper said.

"Alright, well let's get some more sleep then we'll follow the ventus." Jason said.

* * *

Naruto dreamed as he rested.

He dreamt of a mountainous plain, a grove of trees off to the side and a small lake nearby. He looked down at himself and poked at the blanket that was wrapped around him. It looked like the sky when the sun rose or set, a nice vibrant orange that had mixes of purple and red at the edges. Weird. Well, it was cool, but it was also weird. A small sound of awe got his attention and he looked up. His eyes fell on a girl his age that looked like Tsuchi. He blinked as he realized it was Tsuchi.

"You...look handsome." She said, walking up to him, putting a hand on his cheek.

Naruto wanted to ask what was going on, but instead he said. "Thank you...Where am I?"

"It hasn't been that long ..." Tsuchi said with a giggle. It sounded like a high bell being rung. She poked him on the nose playfully. "I like it when you joke around. Do it more often."

"Well if you insist." Naruto heard himself say. Strange thing to say to someone he hardly knew. Wait...this was that flirting thing, wasn't it? Why was he flirting? He barely knew this girl other than she wasn't on good terms with Leo. Tsuchi giggled again and leaned up, kissing his cheek.

Great.

Now he feels like a peeping tom.

Tsuchi bounced away, her hands falling behind her back as she walked away. She turned on the balls of her feet, smiling at him serenely.

"Come on ..." Tsuchi said, walking backwards with the smile still in place. Naruto furrowed his brows, wondering why he couldn't hear her say his name. "Follow me! I want to show you something!"

Naruto gave a light laugh and followed her. While he was confused he felt the smile spreading across his face. She took his hand and pulled her along with him.

"Over here." Tsuchi said. She sounded so excited. He followed her as she pulled him along. She pulled him to a beach, the sand feeling new and foreign to him despite having dealt with it before. "That's ... He got here yesterday. But look what we made! Doesn't it feel amazing on your feet?"

"It's...strange." Naruto said, flexing his toes. He hummed for a moment before smiling at her. "Can you do anything with it?"

Tsuchi blinked. "I...don't know."

"That's unfortunate...Maybe you could make something?" Naruto said. He dragged his foot through the sand. "It's rather...malleable."

Tsuchi looked at the sand before beaming. The ground shifted before it rose, a language Naruto wasn't familiar with appeared, but he felt himself blush. Tsuchi giggled and turned him towards her.

"You're bright, too." Tsuchi said. She leaned up and Naruto felt himself leaning down. Her breath blew against his face and-

"Wake up!"

* * *

Naruto's eyes snapped open. "Wha-who? Jason?"

"Naruto, I've been trying to wake you up for a few minutes now." Jason said.

"You should've just slapped him. That always works." Leo said, looking very amused at the thought. He got a small pebble thrown at his forehead. "Ow!"

"Lesson one, don't attack a sleeping shinobi." Naruto said as he got to his feet and stretched, still wondering about that dream he had. Why hadn't he been able to hear the names Tsuchi said? Why couldn't he read the words that Tsuchi wrote, yet still blushed? And why was he wearing an orange towel like a dress?

Sure it was awesome, but still. A towel?

"Why'd you throw a rock at me and not Jason?!" Leo asked, rubbing his head.

"Because Jason didn't suggest bodily harm to wake me up." Naruto said simply. He looked to the quest leader and grinned. "Let's go, flyboy."

Jason rolled his eyes while Piper giggled at the nickname, finding it somewhat appropriate. Jason led them down a dark tunnel, pausing every now and then to feel the air current. Naruto would occasionally walk onto the wall and then the ceiling, walking parallel with Leo, getting a good startle out of the group when they thought they lost him. Shame Miu didn't join them...on second thought, perhaps it was better. He didn't want to worry about cleaning her feathers.

It was when they came to the end of their path that Naruto finally dropped down and scratched his head. Two steel doors with the letter M engraved on them in what Annabeth called cursive stood before them. On the wall next to the doors was a plaque with other words on it.

"...Is that...an elevator directory?" Leo asked. He squinted his eyes. "Who has a floor dedicated to poison? And what the heck is a sundry anyway? Is that some kind of lingerie?"

"I'm not sure about those last few questions, but I think this is a directory." Jason said, hitting the up button. The doors opened with a ding, revealing a cozy elevator with gold railings and lush walls.

"What is this, Macy's?" Piper asked.

"What's 'Macy's'?" Naruto asked.

Piper just gave him a look of disbelief.

"It's a parade." Leo said. He snickered when Piper shoved him lightly while they stood outside the elevator.

"Shut up, Leo." Piper said. She looked at her older brother. "Macy's is a mall that happens to have an annual parade."

"Oh...What's a mall?"

"...Wow, dude. Just wow." Leo said. Even Jason gave Naruto a bewildered look.

Piper opened and closed her mouth before shaking her head. "I'll explain it later, Naruto."

"If you say so." Naruto said, giving a shrug. He turned to Jason. "So what now, flyboy?"

"The best place to start would be at the top." Jason said. He stepped in and the others followed. His finger wandered to the fourth floor's button and pressed it. The doors closed with a loud ding, the floor shifted and Naruto felt it rise. He began getting nervous.

Closed spaces were not his forte.

"You alright, Naruto?" Leo asked.

"Fine." Naruto said through gritted teeth.

"...That bar begs to differ."

Naruto looked at the golden bar in his grip, being bent into his hand. He let go and looked at his shaking hand, clenching it into a fist. "I'm not a fan of closed spaces."

"No, really?" Leo asked. "What happened to cause that?"

"Got eaten by a giant snake when I was twelve."

The three looked at him oddly.

"...Beats my story." Leo said. No one said anything else, but Jason prepared his sword. Naruto's grip around his staff tightened, surprisingly being sturdier than the railing in the elevator. The elevator doors dinged as they opened and Jason stepped out first with his sword at the ready.

Jason paused outside and lowered his blade. "Guys...You have got to see this."

They followed and joined Jason as he looked over the mall.

"This is not Macy's." Piper said, in shock.

"It's like a kaleidoscope." Leo said.

Naruto nodded in agreement. It was massive. The ceiling was beautiful glass, stained with strange symbols that reflect off the giant sun in the center of it all. It was like being in a room showered in color.

This was what sage mode looked like.

"Check it out." Leo said. "That statue looks like Coach Hedge."

Jason and Piper looked to where he was pointing and Naruto followed their gaze. Down by a large fountain – what was with this city and giant fountains? – there was a cage that rattled and stormed, filled with the spirits that had caused his sister and her friends so much trouble, while opposite that was a stone statue of a satyr holding a tree branch the size of a club. That was one strong satyr, stronger than Billy at any rate.

"We need to get down there." Piper said. "I think that _is_ Coach Hedge."

"May I be of some assistance?"

The four demigods turned on their feet, Naruto holding both of his staves while Jason held his sword at the ready. They lowered their guard as they realized it was a woman looking at them. She was pretty, but Naruto didn't really pay attention to that.

It was her eyes that had him keep his guard up. They were cold and calculating. Looking into them and Naruto saw that something was wrong. He just couldn't put his finger on what that was, though.

The woman smiled. "I'm so happy to see new customers!"

"We're not..." Naruto trailed off as the wall shifted around behind her. The elevator vanished, the doors being hidden by a earthy wall. Naruto squinted his eyes as a face appeared in it briefly. "Tsuchi...?"

"I think tea is on the third floor." The woman said. She turned to the younger three. "How may I help you?"

"Um...Is this your store?" Jason asked.

She nodded. "I found it abandoned. I, how you say, renovated it. I realized there were many stores like this. I love collecting things and helping people find what they need. It seemed like a...what is the term...? Ah, good investment."

"Are you new to this country?" Jason asked. He ignored the weird look Piper was giving him.

"Yes, I am…new." She said. Her smile never faltered. "I am the Princess of Colchis. My friends call me Your Highness. Now what is it you are looking for?"

"Our friend..." Jason said. He sounded a bit dazed. "Gleeson Hedge. The satyr statue. Could we see him?"

"...How would she know his name?" Naruto asked. His words didn't go through the son of Zeus' head.

"Yes, yes. I take you. First your names." The Princess said, smiling pleasantly.

"This isn't a good idea..." Piper said. Jason seemed to ignore it.

"This is Piper, Leo and Na-"

"Than. I'm Nathan." Naruto said. That was the name of a kid at camp. He nodded to Jason.

"And I'm Jason." Jason said. He didn't seem to look concerned as to why Naruto gave the woman a false name. Naruto glared at the woman slightly as she seemed to focus solely on Jason after he said his name. He blinked when he thought that her head became clear, glowing as she gazed at Jason. It was over when he blinked again.

"What a...lovely name." The Princess said, giving a bitter smile. "You know, I believe we might have a special sale for you." She turned and walked towards the staircase. "Come along, children, let's go shopping!"

* * *

"This is such a bad idea." Piper said to Naruto under her breath. He simply nodded and kept his grip tightly on his staff. They were following the Princess through the potion's store. Why? No clue. All Naruto knew was that the Princess was _way_ too interested in Jason.

And not in a good way.

"I know." Naruto said simply. "Just play along." He turned his attention to the Princess. "Colchis, sounds strange. Where is it?"

"Far from here. Very far and lifetime ago." The Princess said simply. She turned to look at him. "You are not from here either...Nathan?"

"Wisconsin." Naruto said with a smile.

"Wis-con-sin...What a dreary sounding land." The Princess said.

"It's not that bad." Naruto said. "They got that team. What was it, Piper?"

"The Green Bay Packers?"

"Yeah, that's right! The good ole Green Bay Packers!" Naruto said with a grin.

The Princess blinked in confusion. "What do they pack?"

"Uh...Everything? Doesn't matter. What's this do?" Naruto asked, grabbing the nearest vial that he could find. It was a swan shaped container with blue liquid in it.

"Careful, dear." The Princess said.

"What, will he sprout legs from his stomach?" Piper asked, rolling her eyes.

"No." The Princess said, her smile widening slightly. "That potion will kill you very painfully."

"Like getting a sword shoved through your stomach?" Jason asked.

"Far more painful than that, dear Jason."

"I'll just put this down carefully then." Naruto said. He might have had worse than a sword in his stomach, but he wasn't keen on feeling it again. He grabbed another vial, this one blood red like his mother's hair – or at least the form she chose when she had him – and having a simple cork that stopped it. "What's this one do?"

"That one? That one is opposite." The Princess said. "Very powerful healing agent. Heals any disease that befalls you."

"Any disease? Like cancer?" Leo asked. "Leprosy? Hangnails?"

"Yes, sweet boy." The Princess said, gently petting Leo's messy hair. "Any disease."

"...Like amnesia?" Piper asked after a moment. Naruto looked at her, catching her steal a glance at the dazed Jason. He followed her gaze and looked at his fellow blond, seeing a small frown appear on his face before he blinked it away. He seemed to have issues remembering still. Naruto looked at Piper again.

"Don't, Piper." He said under his breath, his hand grabbing her arm gently. "We can't get sucked into this."

Piper ignored him, her eyes staying on the Princess' face. She never looked away.

"Yes, I think it could." The Princess said. She tilted her head. "Why dear, did you forget something important?"

"Piper!" Naruto said with a hiss.

"I know what I'm doing." Piper said, swiveling a glare on her brother. She looked back at the Princess. "How much?"

The Princess blinked and put a hand on her cheek, the other resting under her elbow as she looked beyond them. "That's always the problem. I love helping people. Honestly I do. And I always keep my promises, but people take advantage of that."

Naruto glowered a bit at that. He'd been taken advantage of because of his promises before. One of his most memorable events like that was what he referred to as 'The Mizuki Incident', where his academy teacher Mizuki had lied to him, tricked him into stealing a very important scroll, to make him a scapegoat and then told him the secret that was kept from him for twelve years. The woman's eyes glanced at Jason before meeting Naruto's.

"You know this pain..." The Princess said. She approached him and reached out, her hand cupping his whiskered cheek. "Betrayed by someone you trusted...Once a handsome young man came to me for help, he wished to take something from my father. I made a bargain and I promised to help him steal it."

"From your own father?" Jason asked. He looked a little bothered by that tidbit of information.

"Now, don't worry, Jason." The Princess said, giving him a serene smile, her hand still on Naruto's cheek. "I demand a high price. The young man who had to steal me away alongside his prize. It seemed fair. He was good-looking, young, charming, dashing and strong..." The Princess looked at Piper. "I'm sure you understand, yes?"

Piper looked away at that, blushing a bit. Naruto slipped away from the Princess' hand, getting a small look of confusion from her. He just gave her a flat glare that had her sighing and returning her attention to Jason.

"As it were, my hero did many an impressive deed. And, not to be modest, but he wouldn't have been able to do any of it without my help." The Princess said. Her smile fell into a scowl. "But, he betrayed me, cheated me of my reward for helping him. After all I did for him."

"Cheated?" Jason asked.

"Not cool." Leo said.

The Princess smiled and ran her hand across Leo's cheek affectionately. "Such a sweet boy. No need to worry. You'd certainly pay full price, wouldn't you?"

"What were we buying again? I'll take two."

"Charming." The Princess said with an amused smile.

"How much?" Piper asked again. "For the vial?"

"...Would you give anything for it, my dear?" The Princess asked, a strange tone in her voice. "I sense that you would."

"I would pay the _fair_ price for it." Piper said. "Not any price. After I buy it, we can leave, right guys?"

"Leave?" Jason asked. "Piper, why would we want to leave?"

"Yeah, we've got shopping to do." Leo said. "We'll leave after."

Naruto looked between them with a frown. "After...? Guys, we have _things to do_."

"We can do those when we're done." Jason said, waving him off.

Leo nodded in agreement. "Yeah, listen to Jason. We'll finish shopping and then go do those things."

Piper gained a look of horror and put her hand on Naruto's arm. "They're charmed. Nar-Nathan, she's using Charmspeak."

Naruto looked at her for a second before looking at The Princess. She was looking at the both of them with the same amused smile on her face.

"Interesting. Rare though it may be, I had a feeling you were her daughter. Though, I was not prepared for a son with the same gift." She said. She gave Naruto an interested look, glancing at the staff in his hand and his clothes. She looked him dead in the eye and Naruto saw a flash of kinship. Quite frankly, he didn't know how to react to that. His thoughts were jarred as The Princess continued. "No matter, let's shop a bit more, shall we?"

"B-But the vial–"

"Ah-ah-ah, no buts." The Princess said, shaking her finger. "Now come, let's sho–"

"Let's not." Naruto said, tossing the red vial and his staff at Jason and Leo. He grabbed the swan shaped vial and tossed it at the Princess. She gasped and raised her hand, a warm golden glow appearing from it that caught the vial of never-ending agony.

"What was-?"

"Magic." Naruto said, answering Piper's question. "Colchis. Like the bull. You're the daughter of King Aeëtas, niece of Circe and of Pasiphae. You're Medea...Jason's scorned wife."

"I knew Colchis sounded familiar!" Piper said. "And her story, handsome hero, betrayed after all she does. How are you still alive!?"

"That is a _very_ good question." Naruto said. He grabbed another vial and tossed it at Leo. "Break it and you buy it!"

Leo tossed Naruto the staff, his controlled mind telling him to save Medea's goods. Naruto split staff as soon as he caught it, spinning the staves around in his hand, settling in a stance.

Medea's head became a transparent glowing skull once again before dying down. "Well...Aren't you the scholar?"

"Legacy of Athena." Naruto said, his face set in a scowl. He nodded to the near-zombified figures of Jason and Leo. "Let them and us go, or I'll drag your butt across the mall. And not in the good way."

Medea laughed. "Fool. They are under my control. I was going to have them fight to death. Guess I just have them kill you first."

She snapped her fingers and the two set their respective vials down. Leo reached into his tool belt and pulled out his sledgehammer while Jason flipped his coin and his spear appeared in his hand. Both got in ready stances, Leo's more thuggish while Jason's looked refined.

"This doesn't sound fair." Naruto said. He stood up and started to bounce on the balls of his feet. "It actually sounds boring." Naruto stopped bouncing and snapped back into a hard stance. "Guess I'll have to make it interesting."

"Kill him." Medea said. Jason and Leo walked forward, their weapons at the ready.

"Piper, stay back and out of the way." Naruto said. Piper gave him an annoyed glare and he looked back at her with a grin. "Trust me."

* * *

**AN: I've been having such a good week that I've decided to spread my joy!  
**

**Review!**


	8. The Sage Leaves His Mark

**AN: Co-Written by Engineer4Ever**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Percy Jackson.**

**Fils de l'Amour: The Lost Hero**

**Chapter 8: The Sage Leaves His Mark**

* * *

"You don't need to fight them!" Piper grabbed Naruto's arm.

"No I don't," he said. He pulled out from her grip and blocked Jason's spear and Leo's hammer. Naruto grinned and turned to look at his sister, allowing her to see a gleam of excitement in his eye. "I may not need to, but I _do_ want to."

"Why?" Piper asked, horrified.

Naruto looked at the two boys he held at bay, lifting a foot up and kicking the mechanic away, freeing his hand to be lifted up and swung at the stave at his fellow blond, cracking Jason across the face. Both stumbled back, giving him some breathing room. Naruto cracked his neck and righted himself into a relaxed stance.

"Because someone close to me once said you don't know someone until you fight them." Naruto lifted his staves again and pounced at the mind-controlled demigods.

"That doesn't make any sense at all!" Piper threw her hands into the air as she was ignored and turned to glare at the amused Medea. Medea laughed and wrapped her arms around herself, seeing Piper's glare and smirking back at her.

"Enjoy the show, girl." Medea returned her eyes to the fight as Naruto ducked under Leo's hammer, letting Jason take the blow to the stomach, and then sweep Leo off his feet.

As he rose to knock Leo out with a hard kick to the face, Jason recovered from the blow to the stomach and stabbed at Naruto with his spear. The son of Aphrodite avoided the stab, but the following blow to the jaw from the other end of the spear had the sage stumbling back. Jason pressed on, aiming with another thrust of his spear at Naruto's torso.

"Not bad, flyboy," Naruto said, catching and redirecting Jason's spear with his staves so that the spear just missed him. "A bit better than Clarisse."

Jason's eyes narrowed a bit at this, and Naruto's grin widened. He slid into Jason's defenses, using the blunt end of his stave to give Jason a hard smack upside the head. The son of 'Zeus' fell to the ground, his spear changing back to its coin form.

"Whoops...Might've hit him too hard," Naruto said. He used his stave to scratch the side of his head. The shifting of stone had Naruto ducking under Leo's swing. "Almost, Leo, but not quite."

Leo's nostrils flared and his hand was lifted up, a ball of fire expelling from it. Naruto yelped and bent himself at an impressive angle to avoid being hit. His foot shot up, kicking Leo right in the jaw. Leo's head snapped back and he soared for about two seconds before landing on a glass display case, or rather, crashing through it.

* * *

"What is he, a gymnast or something?" Piper asked herself, shocked by the sight.

"Your brother is...what is word...rubberish?" Medea asked, tapping her chin in thought.

"Flexible," Piper said, glaring at Medea for what it could imply. "You could end this whenever you want! Let us go, we've got to do something to save-!"

"The gods? How droll," Medea said, her eyes rolling. She smirked at Piper. "Are you sure you have nothing better to do? That someone _else_ might need you more?"

Piper's heart clenched in her chest for a moment and she swallowed. "W-What do you mean?"

"We all have a share of issues with fathers." Medea looked at her nails, glancing slyly at the pale Piper. "Oh, I know of your plight, Piper McLean. You could say I know who thought it up quite well."

"It was you," Piper said. Her fists clenched tightly and her eyes narrowed. "You kidnapped my father. You work for Enceladus!"

"Me? No, no, no. I don't work for giants, girl." Medea waved the thought away. She turned to a fountain wall and plucked a diamond from her bracelet. "O Iris, goddess of the rainbow, show me the office of Tristan McLean."

The wall shimmered for a moment before it cleared and the aide to Tristan McLean, Jane, was seen in a familiar office. The woman was on the phone, but hung up immediately when Medea addressed her. "Hello Jane."

"How can I help you, ma'am?" Jane asked. She blinked vacantly when she saw her boss' daughter. "Hello Piper."

"You..." Piper saw red as she glared at the woman.

"Oh yes, she was most useful, weren't you dear?" Medea asked Jane.

"I do my best," Jane said.

"Yes, telling Tristan to go to Oakland quietly in his jet, without alerting the press or police," Medea said, smiling while Piper's heart sunk more and more. "That was rather impressive of him."

"Mr. McLean was rather easy to persuade when he thought Piper was in danger," Jane said.

"You should prepare a cover story. I believe this was enough to allow Mr. McLean to come home," Medea said.

"Of course. I will standby."

The image faded and Medea turned to the infuriated daughter of Aphrodite. "That was rather enlightening, was it not?"

"You lured my father into a trap! You-!"

"Oh please, dear," Medea said, cutting Piper off with a smirk. "You'll work yourself into a fit. I've been planning this war even before I was brought back to life. During my imprisonment, I had a vision. The gods victory, the triumph of Poseidon's son, and then, most interestingly, I saw your friend Leo. I stirred my patron, not fully, but enough for her to make a quick visit."

Piper's anger turned to horror. "You..." She looked to where Naruto was holding the two demigods off once more. Jason was bleeding from the corner of his mouth and Leo had a bruise forming on his eye. Piper focused on the son of Hephaestus. "Leo! This woman, she helped the Dirt Lady to kill your mother!"

"Tsuchi did _what_!?" Naruto asked, turning to look at his sister. His distraction cost him some skin and blood, Jason slipping his sword around and cutting Naruto's arm. This allowed Leo to back off and bring his sledgehammer up into Naruto's sternum, the son of Aphrodite doubling over from the direct hit to the chest, falling to his knees wheezing. Jason brought his sword up to finish it, hitting solid oak when he brought the sword down.

Medea blinked at the replacement. "Impressive magic..."

"It's not magic!" Naruto said, groaning from where he was standing behind the two demigods. Leo spun and brought his hammer up with a war cry. Naruto stomped on the sledgehammer's bronze head, pinning it to the ground, and used his staves to strike Leo's shoulders, making him drop his weapon with a pained exclamation, before jumping up with a backspin kick to the chest. "Konoha Senpū!"

Leo flew back and hit a pillar, slumping to the ground with a groan. Jason jumped in, his sword once more above his head. Naruto blocked it with his staves keeping the sword above Jason's head and following with a knee to the gut. Jason folded over Naruto's knee with a gasp.

"Time to snap out of it, flyboy!" Naruto said, slipping behind Jason and bringing his recombined staff down over the back of his head. Jason dropped like a sack of potatoes.

Medea smirked. "A good attempt, hero. Unfortunately for you." She snapped her fingers and, though groaning, the two demigods started to rise again. "I'm no mere palace magician."

"Okay. Not good," Naruto said, taking a few wary steps back as the bruised and bloody demigods pushed themselves to their feet and brought their weapons up. "Piper! Start using that charmtalk!"

"I'm trying!" Piper said, tears in her eyes as her friends turned with bad intentions towards Naruto. Naruto could only hold back for so long and eventually his attacks would unintentionally become lethal. Jason and Leo's bodies were not immortal, after all, and they could only take so much damage before it became life threatening. "Jason! Leo! Please! You're best friends and Naruto's friends! You're not killers! Stop listening to her!"

"C'mon, guys, you're both stronger than this..." Naruto said under his breath as he blocked their attacks. "Don't let that witch control you."

"Stop fighting each other and fight Medea!" Piper watched Jason go for an impaling strike while Naruto blocked Leo's sledgehammer. "Jason!"

Jason and Leo froze. Naruto took the time to look at the gold sword that was centimeters away from piercing his side and then up at the sledgehammer he was keeping at bay. He let out a breath he wasn't aware that he was holding. "About time."

"Naruto? Was I about to stab you?" Jason asked, reaching up and holding his head. "My head is killing me."

"Your head? I feel like I was punched a hundred times by a freaking boxer." Leo rubbed his face with a wince before blinking. "I remember something about...my mother..." He rounded on Medea, fire in his eyes and trailing up his hammer. "Lady, I got a chunk of bronze waiting to introduce itself to your face."

"It seems I underestimated your abilities, McLean. I'll have to collect my payment another way." Medea sneered and stepped back, pressing on a tile that caused the building to shake. Jason rushed at her and took a swing, going through a smoky figure while she reappeared at the back of the store.

Jason, Leo and Naruto made to pursue her, but were stopped as two large golden beasts burst through the floor and then dove back down, causing the three heroes to fall through with the debris. Leo landed in an enormous bubbling bowl of lava, breaking up through the molten liquid with a gasp. He pulled himself out while Naruto helped Jason back to his feet, the two blonds lucky enough to land on a pile of padded debris that had fallen through to the bottom floor.

"What the hell was that?" Leo asked. Naruto merely pointed at the growling dragons that weren't quite as large as Festus, but large enough to make them nervous. "Oh. Uh...I'm going to call Festus."

"Good idea." Naruto looked up at Medea with narrowed eyes. He caught movement and grinned when he saw Piper running at the sorceress. "Go, Imouto, go!"

"Don't look the dragons in the eyes! They'll paralyze you," Jason said. He held his sword at the ready with a wince. Who knew falling through – Jason looked up and counted – five floors would hurt so much?

"Cool! Well, not cool, but, you know what I mean." Leo pulled his hammer up and blanched when he saw that the head had melted. "Oh man..."

"Find something else! Free for all sale!" Naruto said, running forward and leaping at one dragon with his staves at the ready. The dragon's orange eyes locked on him and it roared, to which he replied with a war cry as he impaled it in the neck through both sides, straining before he lifted it off the ground about two feet and slammed it back down. "Too heavy. Uh-oh."

The other dragon grabbed him in its jaws and Naruto used chakra to act as a second layer of skin, keeping the jaws from closing completely around him. The first dragon found itself attacking Jason while Leo searched for a suitable weapon and blew on his whistle like there was no tomorrow.

"As much as I'm appreciate Festus coming for us, I _hate_ that whistle!" Naruto struggled under the dragon's mighty jaw.

* * *

On the potions floor, Piper grabbed several vials from the shelf and threw them at Medea. The sorceress had grabbed the blue swan vial with a smirk, but it turned horrified as she barely caught Piper's thrown vials. Her smirk returned at the successful catch. "A good try. Is that the best you can do?"

Piper narrowed her eyes and grabbed another vial, throwing it at the collection in Medea's magic, causing an explosion that sent the sorceress to hit a shelf. The remaining vials crashed down on and around her, the blue vial being crushed in her grip. Medea gained a look of horror once more and nearly shrieked. "You fool! Do you know what all these potions will do?!"

"Hopefully, they'll kill you," Piper said. She could feel the floor heat up and started to back away.

"Jason! Naruto! Guys? A little help?!" Leo's voice had Piper turning to look for her friend, and when she found him she nearly let out a sob. Leo was pinned by the dragon that had Naruto's staves in its neck, its teeth dangerously close to Leo's face. The other dragon was cornering Jason, its mouth empty. Piper feared the worse, actually praying that Naruto had once more faked his death instead of the alternative.

The ceiling crashed and Piper once again felt hope as the enormous and powerful frame of Festus fell through, diving behind him the smaller but equally welcomed Miu. Festus grabbed the dragons in his claws, lifting them off of the ground. Miu swooped in and pulled Naruto's staves out quickly to avoid being harmed by the thrashing dragon.

"Good boy, Festus!" Leo cheered his dragon on.

Festus threw one into the pit it had climbed out of. The other, however, exploded in his claws at the neck, the head going flying to the side while a horde of Narutos poured out, each falling to the ground before going up in smoke.

The real Naruto landed on his arm with a strangled cry, most likely breaking it. Festus threw the body into the other hole. Jason hit a noticeable button on the ground, closing the cages to the pits and trapping the dragon that was fortunate enough to still have its life along with the other that was slowly reforming. Jason got off his stomach and went over to Leo, helping him to his feet before going to Naruto, who was being fretted on by the concerned Miu, his staves at his side.

"You okay?" Jason asked, helping Naruto up. The whiskered blond grunted, not giving an answer. He grabbed at his jacket's sleeve and tugged, not really caring about it at the moment. The fabric gave out and Naruto made a rushed sling with his sleeve. Miu cried at them and Naruto nodded.

"I'm fine. Jason, get Piper and Leo and get out of here. Miu, make sure they get out," he said. They looked ready to protest, but Jason backed off at the slitted pupils in his glaring eyes. "I said _go_!"

Jason nodded, running back over to Leo and helping him get the wind spirits and their satyr teacher free. After recombining his staves again, Naruto looked up and watched them rise. Beyond them, Piper made a daring leap before they caught her and he grinned. Miu hovered in the air and he glared at her.

"Go! I'll be right behind you, Miu!" Naruto made sure she left before he crouched down and channeled chakra to his legs. He shot up and landed on the now flaming potions floor.

"You! You'll listen to reason. You know my pain!" Medea looked terrified. "Save me and I'll give myself to you, I'll tell you everything you must know to beat _her_."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. He brought his staff up over his shoulder before smacking it against Medea's face, making her fall to the side and drop the red potion. Naruto pushed the sorceress onto her back, keeping her there with his staff while he carefully reached down with his broken arm and grabbed the potion. He stood back up and kept a level glare on Medea.

"You can't sell me anything. I _learned_ not to trust so easily, Medea, and I know what it's like to have my trust used against me. What I want from you is the location of Piper's dad."

"After you-Ugh!" Naruto added pressure to his staff.

"Location first, then I'll help you."

"We'll die!"

"I've got nothing to lose."

"You...You're serious." Medea swallowed. "You'll die for someone you've never met."

"I'll die for the right reason. I'm pretty sure that'll get me a pass from Tartarus." Naruto said. He glared at Medea. "You...You'll be serving a full sentence. _Again._"

Medea's eyes widened. "He's in Oakland, being held captive by the giant king, Enceladus!"

"Thanks." Naruto pushed her down and turned to walk away.

"W-Wait! We had a deal!" Medea reached for him, trying to get up without triggering an explosion.

"I never said I'd save you. I said I'd help you." Naruto said, giving her a frown. "But you can't be helped. You're too bitter at the core."

"No...no, no, no, no, no, no!" Medea's voice followed him as he jumped out to the roof. "Don't leave me behind! Not again!"

* * *

"There!" Piper pointed at Naruto's form. She and Jason reached out, catching Naruto's staff and hoisting him onto Festus' back. Naruto used his chakra to cling to the dragon as it sped away just before Medea's Mall exploded behind them. The shockwave nearly knocked them out of the sky, but within a few minutes, they were sailing steadily once again.

"So...That's a mall, huh?" Naruto asked. He grunted as he readjusted himself before coming to a conclusion. "I don't like 'em."

"I agree." Jason nodded. "Death traps."

Leo snorted. "Talk about an understatement." He reached down and patted Festus on the neck. "Good job, Festus. You did an awesome job."

Festus made a shuddering sound, clicking and popping that made Naruto arch a brow. He wanted to ask if everything was all right with their rescuer, but was unable to because of Miu landing on his thigh and chirping worriedly at his arm. Deciding that Leo would undoubtedly handle whatever was wrong, he focused on his own airborne friend, petting her reassuringly.

"I'm fine, Miu. I'm fine." Naruto hushed her, listening in on Jason and Leo ask Piper about her dad. She clammed up rather quickly, making Naruto frown. He realized that while she wanted to save her father, she wanted to put the world ahead of her and not thinking about it was as good as it would get. Naruto kept quiet about confirming where her dad was, seeing as it would only distress his sister more. He instead focused on the red potion in his hand.

_Heals any injuries, huh?_ Naruto looked at his broken arm. It should heal naturally. He leaned forward and tapped Jason on the shoulder. The younger blond turned and looked at him, blinking in surprise when the red vial was held up in front of him.

"Here," Naruto said.

"What?" Jason looked at the vial being offered to him. "That's the all healing potion. The one that can cure anything..."

"Including amnesia." Naruto held it out further. "Take it."

"Wh-what?" Jason looked flabbergasted. "B-But your arm!"

"Will heal," Naruto said. He pushed the potion forward. "Take it."

"You need it more than I do," Jason said. He saw how painful the break was, and Naruto was a heavy hitter. They were going to need him...especially if they were going to run into the king that was going to separate one of the two children of love from their group.

Naruto looked annoyed. "Look flyboy, do you want to drink it yourself or do you want me to help you?"

"I...I don't need it." Jason fought back any sign of lying that was on his face. Something told him that Naruto needed to be at his peak in the coming days. Naruto opened his mouth to argue some more, but Jason cut him off. "Okay, look. You drink half of it now, and I'll drink half of it later. After the quest. I...I don't want to be distracted."

Naruto arched a brow and looked at Piper, who was resting her head on Jason's chest, before meeting the other blond's eyes once more. "Distracted...Right."

"I mean it. I'll drink it after the quest," Jason said.

Naruto frowned a bit but sighed. He leveled a glare on Jason. "You're sure?"

"You drink half, then I'll drink half...unless someone else gets even more injured," Jason said.

"Fine." Naruto tilted the vial forward. "Uncork it?"

"That, I will do." Jason grabbed the cork and pulled it off with a pop.

Naruto pulled the vial back, sniffed it and shuddered. "Ugh. It smells horrible." He sighed and lifted it up. "Banzai!"

He tilted the vial back and opened his mouth, letting the red liquid pour into his mouth. Jason took the vial and corked it back up before Naruto drank the whole thing. The whiskered blond coughed and hacked, holding his throat. He felt a fire burn down to his arm and there was a sickening snap that had him biting into his other arm to keep from screaming or biting his tongue. When the pain abided, Naruto removed his mouth from his arm, ignoring the bloody mark that immediately burned before healing.

"Guess it has a lingering effect for a bit." Naruto pulled his arm out of his sling and flexed his hand. "Cool...good as new."

"That was gross." Leo scrunched his nose up in disgust.

"Leo, why don't you get some sleep?" Jason asked.

"I'm fine," Leo said. Naruto saw his head bob lightly.

"Jason can take the reigns, Leo." Naruto stood up and looked out in front of them. "Has that always been there?"

"The vapor trail? So you can see it, too? Why didn't you say anything before when we were talking about it?" Jason asked.

Naruto shrugged. "I was preoccupied with the searing pain in my arm."

"Oh, right." Jason looked at Leo. "He's got a point. I can see the vapor trail and you're not a machine, Leo."

"...Alright, fine." Leo said handing the reigns back before falling forward, wrapping his arms around Festus' neck. "Wake me if there's trouble."

"You'll be the first to know." Jason nodded.

A few seconds later and Leo was asleep, leaving the two blonds to themselves.

"You're not that bad at fighting," Naruto said after a few minutes of silence. Jason turned around to look at him.

"What do you mean?"

"You've had training." Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Good training. When I wasn't trying to beat you into the ground, you had me on the ropes."

"Was I really that good?" Jason asked.

Naruto hummed. "Hard to tell. Can you destroy the tip of a mountain with a single bolt of lighting?"

"...I don't know."

"That's something to look into." Naruto stroked Miu's beak. "So what _do_ you remember?"

"Not a lot," Jason said. "I remember flashes of my sister. My name..."

"A bunch of Roman stuff, too." Naruto's eyes narrowed in thought.

"Yeah." Jason drifted off into his thoughts.

"Well...I'm going to get some shut eye. Healing broken arms can be more exhausting than you'd think," Naruto said. Jason nodded and Naruto lay back, resting against Festus' flank, his eyes drifting shut.

Naruto's eyes snapped open and he sat up, the water he once lay in rippling as he did. He shook himself free of the water and got to his feet, patting himself off before looking around at his mindscape, the place where his and Kurama's minds could meet. The sewer his mind chose as a backdrop once unnerved him, but he had come to terms with it a while ago, understanding that it was a representation of the loneliness he had endured for the beginning of his life.

Naruto frowned; he was a bit annoyed he didn't appear right in front of his slumbering friend and partner. With a forlorn sigh, Naruto began the long tedious journey to where Kurama resided. Along the way, Naruto looked at the walls, which reflected with familiar faces.

"These are..." Naruto stopped and lifted his hand up to one that had a blond man wearing a white cloak trimmed with red flames. The image came off the wall and appeared before him, his father standing before him with his hand outstretched.

"_You will find the answer...I believe in you._" Minato Namikaze said, the image bursting into fragments before it reappeared on the walls.

"Huh, that's new," Naruto said. He swallowed down the lump that formed in his throat. He walked on and stopped at the image of his mother, reaching out to that.

"_Don't apologize..._" Naruto smiled at the look on his mom's face, surprised as his past self spoke to her. "_I had a lot of hard times growing up as a Jinchuriki, but I never blamed you or Dad. I couldn't understand a parent's love because you guys were never there, so I could only guess. But now I know. I live because you and Dad gave your lives for me and filled me up with love before the Nine-Tails was inside me! So here I am, happy and healthy! I'm glad I ended up being your son!_"

"Still am." Naruto grinned to himself as he trudged on. Another face on the wall appeared and Naruto's grin widened. "Nagato."

"_You are an odd kid...You remind me of myself when I was young._" Nagato looked back at him. It was still so surreal how this was the true form of Pein, the self-proclaimed god that had destroyed Konoha in a single blow. And here he was before he died. "_I couldn't believe in what Jiraiya believed in... nor believe in myself...but you chose a different path. In you I can see another future. I...will believe in __**you**__..._"

Naruto smiled as he continued to stop and look at his memories before he came to a much more recent one, one that he cherished the most during the war. Reaching up, Naruto pressed his hand on the shimmering gate before it moved like a picture and he remembered what he said to his friend.

"_You're not the monster fox anymore. You're one of my teammates from Konoha, you are __**Kurama**__!_" Naruto remembered throwing the cage doors open, merging himself fully with the nine-tailed fox.

The memory ended and returned to look like Kurama's second seal. Naruto lifted his hands to it and threw the gate open, causing it to shatter and fall into the water while he walked past. It reformed once he was in the main chamber and the smile that was on the son of Aphrodite's face had fallen.

"Kurama..." Naruto walked forward and put his hand on the large kitsune's muzzle. The vibrant orange fur was now a light grey and were it not for the light puffs of air escaping Kurama's snout, Naruto would be concerned his friend was no longer with him. Naruto rubbed the muzzle affectionately. "Come back, Kurama...I need your help."

"_Naruto…!_"

Naruto looked around, hearing his name echo. His brows furrowed together in confusion. "Imouto?"

"_Naruto wake up!_"

* * *

Naruto's eyes flew open and he took in his surroundings. "What's going on?"

"Festus just took a dive!" Piper screamed, which was understandable since they were plummeting. Naruto nodded and looked at Jason.

"Get them to safety!" He said, grabbing the one kunai he had with him and using it to cut Piper's strap and then Jason's. He walked up to Leo's seat, but the son of Hephaestus held a hand out to him.

"No! I can fix it! Just go!"

Naruto looked Leo in the eyes and then nodded. "I'll meet you down there."

Instead of jumping up, Naruto jumped off and plummeted down, ignoring Piper and Jason calling his name. Naruto lifted his thumb to his mouth and bit down hard, drawing blood.

"Please let this work, please let this work, please let this work!" Naruto prayed to himself as he flipped through the hand seals he had memorized so long ago. Clapping his hands together a final time, Naruto threw his right hand out and wrapped his left hand around the wrist. "_Kuchiyose no Jutsu!_"

Smoke exploded from his hand, enough to cover a large building. A golden beam shot at the smoke, but a giant ball of water shot out and extinguished it. Naruto landed with a grunt atop a red and wart covered head as more beams fired, only to be extinguished in the same way. The owner of the red and warty head landed on the ground with a huge crater, a hole-filled dragon crashing down nearby as the lasers were taken mostly offline from the impact.

"Eh? Who dares summon me in a battlefield?!" A deep voice asked.

"Boss Toad!" Naruto said happily, making the enormous toad look up at Naruto with golden eyes.

"Gaki?" A pierced tongue slipped out of the giant toad's mouth and wrapped itself around Naruto's midsection. It unraveled after setting Naruto on the ground, retreating back into the toad's mouth. The toad blinked before grinning around his pipe. "Well, well, well, the savior of the world and the new sage finally deems me worthy to be summoned?"

"Sorry, Gamabunta. I didn't want to risk you guys getting eaten by Madara's tree," Naruto said. He held a fist out to the boss toad. "Are we still good?"

Gamabunta scrutinized the blond for a minute before his four webbed fingers curled into a fist and pressed lightly against Naruto's. "Only when you have that drink of sake with me back on Myouboku."

"Right, right, sorry Gamabunta," Naruto said with a bow.

"Next time just summon Gamakichi or Gamatatsu," Gamabunta said. He looked around and narrowed his eyes. "I don't like this place, it does not feel...natural."

"I hear you," Naruto said. "You should probably dispel and tell Ma and Pa that I'm okay."

"They might just reverse summon you or themselves," Gamabunta said. "But you're right. This place is _wrong_. No chakra, no energy...no _life_. Goodbye, Toad Sage. Come to the mountain for the sake soon or I will make our arrangement null and void!"

"Yes sir!" Naruto grinned as he saluted the Yakuza-like toad boss. Gamabunta nodded again before exploding in a large cloud of smoke, disappearing from the world.

"Naruto!" The whiskered blond turned to smile at his sister and Jason as they landed near him.

"Hey Imouto. Flyboy." He smiled at them.

"Was that a giant frog speaking Japanese?" Piper asked.

"First of all, he's a _toad_." Naruto gave his sister a light glare for the mix up. It vanished as he continued. "And to answer your question, yes. Yes it was."

"...You can clone yourself and make giant frogs–"

"_Toads_!"

"Toads appear?"

"Pretty much," Naruto said, leaning against his staff with a smile. Miu landed on his shoulder and he smiled at her. "Hey Miu, you okay?" Miu crooned at him and his smile widened as he gave her beak a light stroke. "Good. I'm glad you're safe."

"Is any part of you normal?" Piper asked, looking at Naruto in complete disbelief.

Naruto looked back at her, then to the sky as he thought about it, before shrugging. When it came to ninjas, he was considered the strongest person in the world. When it came to Camp, he was definitely the strangest. So when you really thought about it, nothing about Naruto Uzumaki screamed 'normal guy walking!'

"Leo!" Jason's voice had the two children of Aphrodite rushing up the hill of the crater after the son of 'Zeus'. They made it to the top and found Jason pulling pieces of the weakly whirring Festus away from where Leo was. They saw holes in the body, all coming at angles that would ensure that Leo wasn't hit.

"He protected Leo," Naruto said sadly as he walked over to the dragon and crouched in front of the head. His hand went out and lightly brushed over the bronze dragon's crown, the flickering eyes seeming to look up at him as he did. Naruto smiled as he caught the unsaid words. "I promise, 'ttebayo."

"Festus!" Naruto stood up and backed away as Leo frantically crawled over to his dragon's head. "No, no, no! You can't leave me..."

Festus started to whirr and click, much like he was purring from Leo's attention. The son of Hephaestus let a few tears shed as he pressed his forehead against Festus'. Jason and Piper watched silently, unsure of what to do, but Naruto stepped forward and knelt next to Leo, a hand on his shoulder.

"He was a fine dragon," Naruto said softly.

"He was the best thing I ever fixed," Leo said, looking at the fading light in Festus' eyes. Leo choked back a sob when the light extinguished and Naruto squeezed his shoulder in support. Taking a few deep breaths, Leo looked at the head in his hands before looking up at the sky. "Hephaestus, please...If you can hear me, take Festus' head back to Bunker Nine."

It was quiet for a moment before the head floated out of Leo's hands into the night sky.

Naruto blinked and grinned. "That was cool."

"Yeah," Leo said, looking downtrodden. He looked at his dragon's remains, scowling as he shuffled through them. "This wasn't Festus' fault."

"No, it wasn't." Naruto agreed and looked over to where the strange metal tubes stuck out from the ground aiming at the sky. Most of them were unhinged or destroyed by Gamabunta's landing. The shinobi narrowed his eyes. "Something tells me that the cause of Festus' death is over there."

Leo gained a fierce look and walked over to the wrecked gate, grabbing the chain links of the fence that blocked his path. The metal superheated in his grasp and he ripped it down. He then grabbed one of the cannons and tore it open, using a screwdriver he pulled from his tool belt to pull out pieces of it.

"What are you doing?" Jason asked.

"These things shot beams that were able to tear through Festus' wings like they were made of butter," Leo said. His hands moved like they had minds of their own, something assembling in his hand before Leo smirked as he held the small tube like contraption in his hand. He pointed it at one of the other cannons and pressed a button on the edge of it, a beam of gold firing from the rim of Leo's new toy and blowing the cannon to smithereens.

"...I want one!" Naruto said, pouting in jealousy.

"We don't have time," Jason said. He glanced at Leo apologetically before he spoke. "We lost our ride, we need another."

"We'll get one," Leo said as he rested his tube on his shoulder. The rim of the device smoked lightly.

"Can we trust you to watch our backs?" Naruto asked, recognizing the look in Leo's eye. He had seen it many times before in Sasuke's and even his own eyes.

"Of course!" Leo frowned at him.

Naruto narrowed his eyes slightly but sighed and looked to Miu. "Can't blame him, but I guess I'll just have to stop him if he does anything rash."

"What do you mean?" Piper asked, hearing the soft conversation Naruto had with his eagle.

"Nothing, Imouto," Naruto said, tapping her forehead with two fingers and making her pout at him. He turned back to Jason and gestured with his staff. "Lead on, flyboy."

* * *

**AN: I decided to upload this because I finished it.  
**

**Review!**


	9. Gold Mansions, Campfires, Party Crashers

**AN: Co-Written by Engineer4Ever**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Percy Jackson.**

**Fils de l'Amour: The Lost Hero**

**Chapter 9: The Golden Mansion, Campfire Stories and Party Crashers**

* * *

Leo took great joy in destroying the cannons that had shot down and killed his dragon. Naruto watched him carefully. The son of Hephaestus had a lot of anger and self-doubt wrapped up within him, and it made Naruto worry. Right now, even if he didn't show it, Leo was walking a thin line. It was understandable, but Leo had to keep his cool.

There were also many traps that Leo had sniffed out, like he was an Inuzuka dog after a nukenin. It amazed Naruto how efficiently and quickly Leo could disarm the traps. It also gave Naruto a good chuckle when Leo had to grab the back of Jason's shirt to keep the blond leader from activating a trap.

Although Naruto had to admit these traps were a better quality than what he was used to. Normally it was paralysis seals, hidden kunai launchers, senbon shooters or even explosive tags that was all he had to look out for normally. In comparison to that, an explosive doorbell seemed a bit much. And that was _if_ the poor person approaching got past the trap door, poison, spiked floor, lasers and the giant log that was hooked on a swinging rope.

"Kankuro would love this guy," Naruto said as he investigated the poisonous handrail with a few curious sniffs.

"Who?" Piper asked.

"One of my friends back home." Naruto coughed and shook the nausea away. "He's a poison master."

"...We _really_ need to have a talk about your home, Naruto," Piper said. "Greek gods are one thing, but an island of ninjas?"

"Continent." Naruto corrected her.

"My head hurts," Piper said, rubbing her forehead and closing her eyes.

"Door's open," Leo said, numb to the world outside of him.

"Good job, Leo." Jason complimented his friend with a pat on the shoulder. "You're awesome."

"One: no I'm not, if I were, I would've been able to keep my dragon in the air and not lost control of him," Leo said, frowning. "Two; the door was unlocked."

"Really?" Piper asked.

"Too secure in their security," Naruto said from his spot on the porch. He frowned and tapped Miu on the side of her beak to gently wake her. "Go to the trees, Miu."

The eagle tilted her head and cawed before taking flight, flying off to the nearby forests. Naruto held his staff tightly as they walked in, eyes narrowed. He stopped and stumbled once they hit the main room, Jason helping him remain upright.

"I'm okay! I'm...I'm fine," he said. The other could tell he clearly wasn't, but he didn't want to worry them. Instead he looked around the room at the Greek statues, walking over to the girl frozen in horror. The other statues were screaming in anger and fear. It surprised him how much negative emotions could be in one room.

Jason had them set up camp in the room since it was too cold outside to do so. Naruto carried the cage that held the storm spirits over one shoulder, having to resort to sage mode so he could. Miu flew back to him but he sent her off.

He didn't want her in the mansion, it was too...dark.

"How about some light, Leo?" Jason asked.

Leo held his hand out, but nothing happened. "It's not working."

"What? Why isn't it working?" Piper asked. Naruto winced as Leo's anger filled the room. He dropped sage mode so he wouldn't have to feel so overwhelmed.

"Well gee if I knew that–"

"Never mind, I see your point," Piper said, cutting the irate son of Hephaestus off. She curled up on one side of the couch, holding her arms and shivering. Naruto pulled his jacket off and draped it on her before she could protest. He went back to the horrified statue, leaning his staff against the wall and then sat in front of the girl, meditating while Jason and Leo talked to each other.

_Help us!_

_Save me!_

_I won't tell another soul, I swear!_

_Daddy, no!_

Naruto breathed in deeply before exhaling. He looked up at the girl with a frown. Whoever did this needed to be stopped. Naruto's eyes went to the window when he heard Miu's cry. He narrowed them and got to his feet.

"Naruto?" Jason asked, looking at the blond tiredly from where he lounged on the couch. "Where are you going?"

"I'll be back in a bit," Naruto said as he grabbed his staff, stepping outside and shivering as the cold Omaha air rushed in past him. He shut the door and walked down the steps calmly, looking up at the sky where Miu circled overhead. Naruto held his arm up and the eagle swooped in, landing on it expertly without causing him any harm.

"What's wrong, Miu?" he asked. The eagle turned her head to look into the woods and Naruto frowned before looking back at her. "Show me what you found."

Miu took to the sky once more and Naruto followed after her. She bobbed and weaved through about two clicks of tree foliage before she landed on a branch and gave a cry. Naruto jumped up to the branch, jostling her and making her fly off only to come back and land on his shoulder with an offended cry.

"Sorry." He smiled apologetically to his friend before looking ahead at what Miu led him to. "What the heck...?"

In front of him were hundreds of golden trees that twinkled in the moonlight. Thank goodness it wasn't daytime or Naruto may have been blinded, like that time he stared at Apollo's cabin for too long. That was a fun bet to win against Travis, but man his eyes hurt like no other afterwards.

"Golden trees?" Naruto frowned and dropped to the ground, landing quietly in the soft layer of snow. He walked over to the nearest tree and put his hand against the bark, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "Whoa...it feels like a normal tree..."

_Cold!_

Naruto's eyes went wide. The trees were emoting, not unheard of, but _very_ rare, even in Konoha. These trees weren't natural, they were made by someone. He pushed past the cold feeling, grabbing onto the warmth that lay beneath.

"Who made you?" Naruto asked himself, his eyes closing. He gasped and stumbled back as a vision of a woman dressed in green and golden robes smiled at a satyr with unnaturally long horns. "Whoa...This...A sanctuary of Pan..."

Naruto had heard of them from Grover and had been asked by the new Lord of the Wild to keep an eye out for them. He never expected to find one. The blond walked through the golden trees before he came across a small grove that was bare of gold. The green was fading around a sunken cave and Naruto cautiously walked in.

"Hello?" Naruto called into the darkness. What he wouldn't do to have Leo at his side. There was some clacking across the ground and Naruto tensed, grabbing his staff with both hands in preparation to separate it. What came out of the darkness was something that caught the son of Aphrodite off guard.

Its head was about chest height, but its body was huge. The coat was a light sandy brown and two gleaming golden eyes looked back at him. It was a giant lion, about the size of Akamaru with paws that had to be the size of his head.

"Uh, hello," Naruto said, lowering his staff to his side, though he was still tense. The lion tilted her head and Naruto swallowed nervously. "Sorry if I disturbed you, I just...I saw what happened to the forest...and you're here still...so..."

_Wait_.

Starting to back away, Naruto stopped at the empathic plea. He looked back at the tired eyes of the lion and relaxed. He held his hand out and let it sniff his hand before it turned and walked back into the darkness, stopping before it completely vanished to look back at him.

"I'm coming," Naruto said, walking in after the lion. They walked for a brief moment before the cavern opened and some glittering stones lightened up the room. The lion opened its mouth, letting out a soft growl. Softer mews came from the back of the room and to Naruto's surprise, three kittens came tumbling out from behind the rock. The lioness fell to her side as the kittens came to her side, eager to feed.

"You've got kittens...There must be lasting blessing on the cave..." Naruto looked around and put his hand on the wall. "Before he passed...Pan must have found out you were pregnant...Or he...Er, never mind."

The lioness kept looking at him before looking to a further wall behind the rock the kittens were hiding behind. Arching a brow, Naruto went to the wall she was looking at and pressed his hand against it.

"Nothing," Naruto said, shaking his head as he turned around. He looked down and stumbled back. "Whoa!"

A golden lion curled behind the rock, hiding itself from sight. It was a bit smaller than the lioness, but now Naruto was certain that these lions were being protected to repopulate their species.

"You lost your mate," Naruto said, frowning as he knelt down to examine the lion. Its' mouth was curled into a snarl and under one paw was another kitten that Naruto missed. "Oh...I'm so sorry."

The lioness stared at him impassively and Naruto stared back before he snapped his fingers with a grin on his face. "I've got it!"

Leaning his staff against the rock wall, Naruto bit down on his thumb and flipped his hands through some seals before slamming his hand down on the ground. "_Kuchiyose no Jutsu!_"

In a small explosion of smoke, a short green toad with white hair growing outside of its head appeared and what looked like a beard on its chin. It had a dark cloak on and a large club-like staff in its hand. Its eyes narrowed as they locked on Naruto and the club swung up, landing a direct hit onto Naruto's head.

"Ow! Pa! That hurt!" Naruto whined as he rubbed the crown of his head.

"Humph, serves you right, brat," Pa, or rather Fukasaku, said. He brought his club-like staff back over his shoulder and smacked Naruto across the face.

"Ow!" Naruto rubbed his cheek. "That hurt, too!"

"That was from Ma," Fukasaku said. He rested his staff on the ground and smiled. "That all said and done, it's good to see you again, Naruto-chan."

"Good to see you, too, Pa," Naruto said with a smile, though wincing afterwards. "I think you almost knocked out a tooth."

"Almost? I must be getting old." Fukasaku glowered over that information. He shook it off in a second. "So, what can I do for you, Naruto-chan? Sage training? Bug hunting?"

"No, no, I was just wondering if you can help me out with something." Naruto stood up, grabbed his staff and walked over to stand near the lioness while Fukasaku hopped onto the rock and watched him. "I found her here hiding with her cubs, she needs somewhere to stay until I can talk to her caretaker...I'll explain it more in detail later, but I need to get back to my team."

Fukasaku looked at the lioness and her cubs with narrowed eyes before smiling gently. He leapt from his perch and landed in front of the lioness, offering a webbed hand that she sniffed before pressing her snout against. He chuckled. "Ah, clever isn't she? She knows the scent of sages."

"I can explain that, later," Naruto said. He was starting to get antsy, being away from Piper and the others for so long. Something may have happened. "I promise."

"Yare, yare, no need, Naruto-chan. I will take her and her cubs to the mountain for protection. When you next summon me I will have Ma reverse summon herself with them," Fukasaku said. He nodded to Naruto. "I hope we speak again soon, Naruto-chan."

"Hai, Fukasaku-sensei," Naruto said, giving a small bow. The toad put his hand on the lioness' snout before they disappeared in a giant plume of smoke. Naruto looked around the cavern once more as the room seemed to die, walking around to the golden lion and cub. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small storage seal he had been carrying with him, sealing the golden statue away with a frown.

Naruto left the cavern just as it collapsed on itself, breaking into a run that Miu followed with ease. He wasn't surprised, Miu could keep pace with Festus. Keeping pace with him shouldn't be that difficult.

* * *

Naruto returned to the mansion within twenty minutes, keeping Miu in the foliage until he called for her. He nearly tripped over what looked like a short burly man bending over to eat some grass.

"Die!" The man said, righting himself and running at him with a club at the ready. The horns and hooves told Naruto this was the same satyr that Piper was insistent on rescuing from Medea's Mall of horrors.

"Easy!" Naruto caught the club and tossed the satyr away, standing defensively as the satyr pushed himself to his feet. "I'm on your side! I'm Piper's brother! From Camp!"

The satyr stopped and looked Naruto over, narrowing his eyes. "...Just because you wear the shirt doesn't mean you're not a spy..."

"I'm the cabin counselor of Cabin Ten, why would I be a spy?" Naruto asked, almost regretting it as the satyr lifted his club up.

"Like the last counselor? Beauregard? Yeah, I know how she turned out," he said. "If you _aren't_ a spy, you wouldn't fight back against me."

"And I haven't yet!"

"You stopped me from pummeling you!"

"That's self-defense, you senile goat!"

"Who are you calling senile, you dirty spy?!"

"I'm not a spy, you dumb jackass!"

"And I'm not a jackass, you dumb blond!"

The two of them were glaring so intensely that if one looked closely sparks could be seen dancing between their eyes. Overhead the clouds rolled in before a bolt of lightning came down and broke through the roof of the mansion. The two turned and watched with horror written on their faces.

"Imouto!" Naruto sprinted past the satyr, who ran after him, and burst through the doors with his shoulder. Just in time to get doused in falling water. Outside the rain came down hard and fast.

"No!" an old guy in a bathrobe cried out as the statues started to revert to normal and stalk towards him. Naruto saw Jason put a sheet over an angry looking gold swordsman, before grabbing the groups' things.

"Naruto, thank Olympus," Jason said in relief. "Where were you?"

"I found something important. I'll tell you later. Where's Piper and Leo?" Naruto asked.

Jason looked over at a dry part of the room and Naruto's heart stopped for a second. His sister and new friend were statues of gold, frozen in place. Naruto looked at Jason, who put a hand on his shoulder. "We can change them back, Midas' curse is easy to fix."

"Running water," the satyr said behind him. He looked at Jason and nodded to Naruto. "You know this idiot?"

"Coach Gleeson Hedge, meet Naruto Uzumaki. Naruto, Coach Hedge," Jason said. He grabbed Piper's statue and started to pull her out. "Coach, give me a hand. Naruto–?"

Naruto was already moving, spamming clones to grab Leo's statue and taking Piper's statue off Jason's hands.

"What the heck–?" Hedge started, he was cut off by Jason pulling him along.

"No time, explain later!" Jason ran out of the house, turning back to look at Naruto. "C'mon, we need to go!"

The original Naruto turned to where the previously golden statues brought their vengeance upon the old guy in his bathrobe. A brief moment of satisfaction crossed Naruto's face before he followed Jason, Coach Hedge and his clones out of the mansion

They ran to the nearby river and Jason instructed the clones to dip the two frozen demigods in the water. Leo went first, going in halfway before he started to revert to normal, falling into the water when he accidentally punched both Naruto's clones hard enough to dispel them. He came out coughing, Jason explaining everything as he helped Leo out while Naruto and his clone dunked Piper in.

"It's not working!" Naruto said.

"Try going complete submergence!" Hedge said.

Naruto and his clone nodded, moving in to the center of the river and taking breaths before dunking the golden Piper into the water. A few seconds passed before anything started to happen. Unlike with Leo, the process was much slower and more taxing. By the time they were done, Naruto's clone had dispelled from the lack of air. Naruto carried the shivering Piper onto land, shuddering himself from the chill in the water. Jason came to their side and took Piper from Naruto.

"We need to leave! Now!" Jason said over the booms of thunder overhead.

"What have you kids been using as transport?" Hedge asked.

"A d-d-dragon," Naruto said between his chattering teeth. "It got sh-sh-shot d-down a few hours a-ago."

"Can you fly, too?" Hedge asked Naruto. The whiskered blond shook his head, rubbing his arms and trying to heat himself up. His clothes were clinging to his body, not helping with the chill he felt from the brewing storm.

Jason blinked and set Piper down swinging the golden backpack he had around and opening the flap. He pulled out the cage of wind spirits with a bit of strain before slamming his hand against the side, the spirits turning to look at him. Jason glared at them and a few cowed under it. He opened the gate and pulled the three cowed spirits out, shutting the cage quickly afterwards and jamming it back into the magic backpack.

"Coach, grab Leo and pull him on one with you. Naruto, you okay to ride alone?" He asked, picking Piper up.

Naruto nodded, his teeth chattering. He was too cold to even think about holding Piper and hanging onto one of the spirits at the same time. Miu flew after him, picking his staff up as he climbed onto the spirit. She dropped it in his shaking hand and immediately clung to his shoulder, the sharp pain heating the limb up as blood flowed from it.

"Onward!" Jason said, ordering the spirits into a flight that had the landscape below vanishing within seconds. They didn't fly for long, but soon they were upon what Hedge called the Rocky Mountains. It wasn't as grand as the Hokage Monument in Naruto's opinion, but it was impressive.

"Whoa!" Jason pulled on the cloud-like mane of the spirit. "I said _whoa_!"

The spirits nearly hit the mountainside, but diverted to a small cave where they made a hard landing. After setting Piper down against the wall, Jason quickly pulled the cell back out and forced them back in, slumping to his knees once they were locked back up. He got to his feet and put the cell back in the pack, looking at Hedge, who was slapping Leo across the face.

"Wake up, Valdez!"

A final smack had Leo jolting upright. "I didn't do it, I swear!"

"Th-that's g-great," Naruto said, still chattering. "M-m-make a d-d-damn fire!"

"What he said," Hedge said.

"Sure, yeah." Leo held his hand up and a fireball shot into the dirt, making a rather small fire. Naruto went to sit by it, shivering all the way as he held his arms. Miu sat at his side, rubbing her head against his leg as he sat down. Jason dug around in his pack while he brought Leo up to speed. The blond demigod tossed the shinobi a folded up blanket, which Naruto immediately wrapped around himself.

"Hypothermia," Hedge said, taking a seat next to Naruto and tossing some sticks that Jason tossed him onto the fire. "You need to heat up. Get out of those clothes."

"Wh-what?" Naruto asked.

"Just do it dude, it'll be like gym class, no one will look," Leo said with a chuckle.

Naruto stared at him blankly before hanging his head in defeat. He let his blanket drop and pulled the clinging Half-Blood shirt off, tossing it to the side. His jeans followed and landed next to his shirt. Naruto stayed in his boxers, wrapping himself up even tighter in the blanket and scooting closer to the fire.

"Should do the same for McLean," Hedge said. Leo and Jason immediately went beet red.

"T-T-Touch my sister and I'll c-c-cut your balls off," Naruto said, trying to be as intimidating as possible despite his shivering. He sneezed and groaned. Great, he hated being sick. This wouldn't have happened if Kurama was awake.

"Relax, kid, I'm a teacher." Hedge said. Jason gave Hedge a blanket and turned away, Leo doing the same while Naruto kept his eyes locked on them, Jason especially.

He knew how fond of the other sex Zeus tended to be, and he was certain that there was a lingering pervert in his son. All men were perverted, a true fact of life. Even he was a bit perverted, but not on his siblings or on people he saw as family.

Miu shrieked and Leo jumped. "Dios mío, what is her deal?"

"She's watching you both." Naruto said, his eyes narrowing. His chattering had finally stopped and he watched Hedge carry his wrapped up sister to lay near Jason. Naruto's eyes narrowed even more and Jason swallowed.

"So, who the heck are you, Blondie?" Hedge asked once he sat down next to Leo and Naruto. He looked at the eagle, who hissed at him, and glared. "Yeah, pleasure's all mine."

"Naruto Uzumaki, son of Aphrodite," Naruto said. His eyes never once moved from Jason's form. He dropped the blanket slightly and risked a glance at his fingertips. Not as blue as they were before. He sneezed again and groaned before resuming his watch on Jason, returning the blanket to its previous position.

"Really?" Hedge asked. He scrutinized the whiskered blond for a second. "And what's with the cloning thing? Aphrodite become the queen of duplicates when I wasn't looking?"

"No," Naruto said. He sniffed and shuddered. Being sick sucked. "I'm from the Isle of the Letoides."

"Now you're pulling my tail," Hedge said.

"No, Chiron confirmed it," Jason said. He shifted slightly and felt a wave of dread he had never felt before. He looked at Naruto and saw the slitted eyes that unnerved him in Medea's Mall.

"Wh-what is that?" Leo asked, looking around fearfully.

"I dunno, but it isn't good," Hedge said, looking around before looking at Naruto. The source of the dread came from him and he scowled. He picked a rock up and chucked it at Naruto's head, snapping the dread away. Naruto turned to glare at Hedge, and then promptly sneezed on him.

"Aw, sick!" Hedge said, wiping his face off with his arm.

"Serves you right," Naruto said with a huff before glaring at Jason again. "Interrupting my killing intent...stupid..."

"Killing intent?" Leo asked, eyes wide. Jason's were wider and his tanned face was paler than normal.

"Killing intent is when you force your killing intention onto an opponent." Naruto explained calmly, never once breaking eye contact with Jason. It was one of the things he committed to memory when training with Jiraiya. The best way to utilize it was to have eye contact. "It paralyzes them in fear and can sometimes be used to cover a whole area."

"Why are you using it?" Jason asked, though he had a good guess.

"Let's just say that I don't trust you right now," Naruto said. His sisters were gorgeous and he was fine with them seeing other guys if they so chose, so he had no real problem with Piper and Jason being together. However, he didn't trust Jason's lust to keep from peeking on Piper when she was vulnerable.

Jason couldn't say or do anything other than nod. That was freaking terrifying, being able to freeze someone in place while focusing your intent to kill. ...He'd have to try it sometime...just not when Naruto was around.

"Okay, you're her big brother and won't let Grace touch her, I get it," Hedge said, sounding annoyed. "Knock it off, you're on a quest. Act like it."

"...Fine." Naruto looked down and sneezed again, sitting upright with a groan. "Ugh, I _hate_ being sick!"

"Too bad you're not a son of Apollo," Hedge said, smirking. "They usually don't get sick."

"Normally I don't either, but for different reasons," Naruto said, groaning as he rubbed his nose with the blanket.

* * *

When Piper started to stir, Leo had just started cooking some food. She started to sit up, but stopped when it felt colder than normal. Looking down, she found herself wrapped in a blanket and under that was nothing but her underwear. Piper flushed bright red as she looked around.

"I pulled your clothes off, and before you start shouting, I didn't see anything," Hedge said before she could demand answers. Piper looked at Jason, who she was seated pretty close to, and both blushed before looking away. A low growl came from her left and Piper looked at Naruto, blanching at his appearance.

He was clad in only his boxers, a jade necklace hanging around his neck and resting on his defined chest. Had Naruto _not_ been her brother, Piper would've felt okay with calling him hot. However, he _was_ her brother and so it _was_ awkward for Piper to look at him while he was mostly naked. She instead decided on looking at his face and following his glare to land on Jason. She looked between the two curiously, clearly wondering what happened while she was out.

"Don't mind him," Leo said with a chuckle. "He's just in all protective big brother mode right now."

"Shut up, Valdez," Naruto said, crossing his arms with a scowl.

Piper flushed lightly and sat up, looking at the fire while she pulled the blanket tighter around herself. She bit her lip and looked around. "So, the last thing I remember is being chased by an old guy with donkey ears, his hand out and yelling 'you're it'!"

"Midas touched you," Jason said.

"He _what_?"

"Not like that, Naruto," Jason said, looking red in the face. Leo fell to his back in laughter with Hedge joining him. Piper felt disgusted with that thought and shuddered, listening to Jason as he continued. "You turned to gold. We had to dunk you in the river."

"_I_ dunked her in the river and we both got hypothermia," Naruto said, sneezing with an angry growl. "I fucking _hate_ being sick!"

"Wow, you got a mouth on you," Hedge said with a laugh.

"Shut up, senile goat man!"

Hedge scowled. "Make me, you dumb blond!"

"If I weren't so miserable I'd kick your ah-ah-achoo!" Naruto sneezed again, causing the fire to blow from the force of it. "Great, now my chakra control is going to shit. Again!"

"Anyway..." Leo tried to bring the conversation back from where it was heading, i.e. nowhere. "After you and Naruto got hypothermia, he, Jason and Coach Hedge used some spirits to fly us all the way to the Rockies."

"Pikes Peak," Jason said.

"That's in Colorado," Piper said. "We must have gotten here really fast."

"Not fast enough," Naruto said, grabbing a piece of toilet paper and blowing his nose. He frowned and tossed it in the fire. "I swear I got sicker on the flight here."

"Why did we fly here, though?" Piper asked.

"The vapor trail led here and then thinned out," Jason said. He sighed. "I think we lost it."

"Pikes Peak, you said?" Hedge asked. He was scratching his beard, nodding as it came to him. "Yeah, that's where he usually parks it."

"Who?" Jason asked.

"Aeolus," Hedge said. "He usually brings his home around this area. Best broadcasting, he says."

"You've met him?" Jason asked.

"No, just word gets around," Hedge said.

Naruto sniffed and grumbled. "Food done yet?"

"Almost," Leo said. He shook his head. "You are not a pleasant sick man."

"I can't fight when I'm sick." Naruto scowled. "I can't even _train_ when I'm sick. And then there's the _hospitals!_"

"Hospitals?" Piper asked.

"I _hate_ hospitals," Naruto said, sniffing and sneezing. "Needles, blank white walls and the smell of bleach. It drives me nuts. Like I'm in a cage of blandness."

"What's wrong? Not enough pink?" Hedge looked amused at his own joke.

"I'll skin you, goat man," Naruto said with a hiss.

"I'd like to see you try, whisker boy."

"It wouldn't be hard, runt."

"You want to bet, nimrod?"

"I never lose a bet, asshole."

"Stop!" Jason said, the two sitting down with crossed arms from where they stood glaring at each other. He shook his head and looked at Leo. "You were saying something earlier about something your dad told you?"

"Oh yeah," Leo said. He went on to tell the four about his dream and how Hephaestus jacked it. Talking about how Hephaestus had warned him about Festus' imminent death and how some parts can be reused. Naruto looked around the fire as Leo finished and topped off the tofu burgers, his eyes landing on the thoughtful Piper. A few seconds ticked by and Piper had yet to say anything other than thank you to Leo when he handed her some food.

"I have something I need to tell you guys," Piper said. Naruto looked at her and felt a weight drop from his shoulders. She shivered and the wind roared outside. "I don't want to keep it a secret anymore."

"We're all ears, Piper," Leo said around a bite of his food. Naruto shook his head in amusement, ripping his burger in to pieces to share with Miu.

"Three days before the Grand Canyon trip I had a nightmare," Piper said. She stared into the fire, afraid to meet anyone's eyes. "A giant, Enceladus, told me he had my father and would kill him if I didn't do exactly as he said."

Hedge whistled. "That's a big giant. Breathes fire, too. Not someone I'd want around my daddy goat."

"Shut it, goat," Naruto said, Miu hissing at Hedge. The whiskered blond looked back at Piper. "Go on, we're listening."

"At camp...I called dad from Annabeth's phone," Piper said. She swallowed. "All I got was Jane."

"That was the mind controlled lady, right?" Leo asked, his head foggy and a bit damaged from that meeting.

Piper nodded. "Yeah. To get my dad back I had to sabotage this quest..."

"Beauregard all over again," Hedge said under his breath. Naruto caught it and sent a seething glare at the satyr.

Piper didn't seem to hear him. "I-I didn't know it'd be you two. Enceladus visited me in another dream, he told me you two needed to die."

"Nothing about Naruto?" Jason asked, his brow furrowing in thought.

"No," Piper said. "I don't think he knows about Naruto."

"That's something to our advantage then," Hedge said. He took a bite of his burger. "Continue, McLean."

"He wants me to lead you two to a mountain," Piper said. "I don't know which, but I know it's in the Bay Area, I could see the Golden Gate Bridge." She looked down at her hands. "I have to be there by noon tomorrow, on the solstice."

"An exchange..." Jason said. He ignored Naruto's presence and wrapped an arm around Piper, giving her a light hug. "Piper, why didn't you say anything? We could've helped you."

"W-what?" Piper looked genuinely shocked that Jason and Leo were giving her apologetic frowns.

"You've been carrying this for a week?" Leo asked. "Dang, beauty queen, you should've said something sooner."

"Are you two crazy? I just admitted that I was told to kill you or my dad will die!" Piper said, glaring at them.

Naruto laughed from where he sat. "You're mad at them for not being mad at you? Classic."

"Shut up, Naruto!" Piper glared at him. "Why aren't any of you mad?"

"You've saved our lives, Piper," Jason said. He gave her a tight hug for a brief moment, grateful Naruto hasn't hit him with another dose of killing intent. "I trust you with mine completely."

"Same here," Leo said. He held his arms out. "Can I get a hug, too?"

"I'd hug you but I'm sort of naked and still a little sick," Naruto said. He still had a grin on his face.

"Take this a bit more seriously, I probably just killed my dad telling you this," Piper said.

"No way," Hedge said. He finished his burger and licked his fingers off. "Yum. Not bad, Valdez. Anyway, Enceladus needs the bargaining chip still. He'll wait til after the deadline before he does anything."

"And we'll stop him before then," Naruto said. He gave Miu another piece of the burger. "You said he wanted you to divert the quest, right? Well I may know where the mountain is. Do you guys know what Oakland is?"

"Where'd you learn that?" Jason asked.

"Why do you think I hung back?" Naruto asked in return. Jason's eyes widened and he thought of the vial, thinking that was the main reason.

"You..."

"I did what I needed to," Naruto said. He had a bitter look on his face. "I don't like it, but I know that your dad's somewhere in Oakland."

"I don't know the area well," Hedge said, frowning. "It's bad luck. The Bay Area, always has been for demigods."

"No...It can't be," Jason said. He pulled away from Piper and held his head. "Ugh, my head."

"You alright Jason?" Piper asked in concern.

"Probably another memory," Naruto said. He opened his mouth to say something more when he froze. The others looked at him and watched his pupils shift into slits. He bared his teeth and the whiskers on his cheeks seemed to darken slightly. "Get your weapons, now. We're not alone anymore."

"What, now you have super senses?" Hedge asked.

"Yes! Now get your things together! Piper, dress! Leo, Jason, goat, weapons! Now!" Naruto said, Miu bringing him his staff. He immediately parted it into his two staves and climbed to his feet, shaking the spots away from his eyes. The hypothermia was still affecting him.

"We'll protect you two," Jason said as he and Leo stood at the ready. Leo had his cannon stick out at the ready and Jason had his sword. Hedge pulled his club out and gave an angry bleat.

"I can smell 'em," Hedge said. Miu shrieked and hissed, spreading her wings as she backed into the cave further. Hedge nodded. "Yeah, they're foul alright."

There was a howl that echoed in the cave and everyone tensed. From the forests, several black wolves, larger than any species Naruto had ever seen, walked out of the shadows. Naruto raised his staves defensively, moving up to join the ranks even if he was still a little weak. The largest, the alpha, came forward with a growl.

Jason met the approach with his sword ready and said something in a language Naruto didn't understand.

"I need to learn some Latin," Leo said as the wolves backed off.

"What's Latin?" Naruto asked.

"A dead language," Hedge said, eyeing Jason suspiciously. His eyes went back to the wolves as they returned. "Okay, here's the plan. I'll kill all of them."

"And how do you plan to do that, faun? With your giant stick? Don't make me laugh." A new deep voice said. A man wearing nothing but furs walked out of the shadows, his eyes the same red as the alpha's. He looked at Jason and smirked. "Son of Rome...A pleasure."

"Can't say the same," Jason said.

"Oh it would be if you let us in for a snack."

"There's no food for you here."

"Unless you want some tofu burgers?" Leo asked. The man snarled at him and he gripped his hammer tighter. "I'll take that as a no, then."

"Don't know what you're missing out on," Naruto said, getting the man's attention.

"...A daughter of Aphrodite, a son of Hephaestus, a faun and a son of Rome, of Lord Jupiter, we expected," the man said. He pointed at Naruto with a glare. "You, I don't know."

"Naruto Uzumaki, son of Aphrodite, legacy of Athena and future Hokage. Pleasure's all yours," Naruto said with a grin. The image was ruined as he sneezed. "Stupid friggin..."

"Ho-ka-gay..." The man repeated it. He narrowed his eyes. "Where are you from?"

"A place called none of your damn business," Naruto said, groaning as he rubbed his nose. "It's just west of go fuck yourself."

"Insolent little shit." The wolves snarled along with the man. "Do you know who you speak to? I am Lyacon."

"Lyacon?" Naruto repeated, blinking a few times before his eyes narrowed and his whiskers darkened even more. "You're the asshole king that tried to feed Zeus human flesh!"

"You know my story then?" Lyacon asked, snarling. "Zeus killed my sons and turned me into what I am today!"

"A feral Inuzuka," Naruto said. He smirked. "I beat one with a fart when I was twelve. Wanna see if I can do it again?"

Lyacon's eyes narrowed even further. "Would you care to repeat yourself?"

"I asked if you wanted to see if I could kick your sorry ass like I did a kid when I was twelve," Naruto said. He tightened his grip around his staves and looked to Jason, sending a silent message to the blond. Jason nodded back and started to back up while Naruto advanced.

Lyacon snarled and gnashed his teeth before turning to his pack. "Capture the son of Jupiter, and kill the rest. This one is mine!"

"Bring it, fuzzbutt!" Naruto said, scraping his staves against each other and making a horrible shrill sound that had the wolves cringing. Jason picked Piper and their stuff up, shooting past the wolves. Leo, Hedge and Miu shot off after them, Hedge and Leo taking out two of the wolves as they did.

"Get them!" Lyacon said to his pack as he started to shift. The wolves ran after their quarry. He stopped at a hybrid form and launched himself at the blond in the cave. "Die!"

* * *

**AN: Engineer suggested I upload. So...here.  
**

**Review!**


	10. Beware The King's Wrath

**AN: Co-Written by Engineer4Ever**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Percy Jackson.**

**Fils de l'Amour: The Lost Hero**

**Chapter 10: Beware The King's Wrath**

* * *

"Come on, you mongrels!" Hedge said, batting away a wolf that got too close for comfort to his hindquarters. "Die!"

"Great, out of a cave and into the freezing tundra," Leo said. He used his cannon stick to dissuade the wolf that looked ready to pounce at him. The wolf fell back in a roll but hopped to its feet. "Damn!"

"W-Werewolves," Piper said, shivering. She had barely gotten back into her damp clothes when Jason had picked her up and shot out of the cave like a bat out of hell. Her hypothermia was still afflicting her and while being held by Jason was nice for her, it was hindering his ability to defend the both of them. "Silver can k-kill them."

"Got it!" Leo said, reaching into his tool belt. "Silver, silver, silver...Double damn! Any other ideas?"

"Bash their skulls in!" Hedge said, cracking a wolf across the face and sending it tumbling with a whimper.

"L-Lightning?" Piper looked to the son of Zeus.

Jason shook his head. "I tried already. The snowstorm is blocking anything else from coming."

"Okay, so...Think, Leo, think..." Leo said to himself, firing another golden beam at the wolves. He reached into his belt again and pulled out a glass bottle, chucking it at the wolves' feet. It shattered upon hitting a rock jutting out of the snow and splashed on two of the wolves' forelegs. Leo sent a ball of fire at the rock, the fire spreading upon impact to the two doused wolves. They burst into flames and dropped into rolls in the snow. "Valdez Fact: Gasoline is _highly_ flammable."

"I can't hit 'em if they're on fire!" Hedge was outraged.

"Yeah, well, count yourself lucky because I don't think I can keep it up for long," Leo said. He fired another shot from his cannon stick and threw another glass vial at the wolves.

"Leo's right, we're stuck..." Jason said.

"Th-The spirits," Piper said.

Jason shook his head. "We'd have come all this way for nothing if we can't give them to Aeolus."

"Coach Hedge, it's been an honor pranking you," Leo said, sending another wolf rolling from his cannon stick.

"You've been a thorn in my side since day one, Valdez!" Hedge swung his club and knocked a wolf back.

"J-Jason..." Piper choked on her words. Jason faltered for words himself, wondering how he messed up. Should he have stayed in the cave? No, Lyacon and Naruto needed that space to fight. Just in case worse came to worse, Naruto could've trapped Lyacon and himself in it.

Then there was the sound of whistling and then the sound of tearing squishy cardboard. A gleaming stick was imbedded in the side of a wolf. It howled mournfully before falling into a puddle of shadows, a silver arrow in its wake. The wolves turned to the woods and several more followed the first's fate, falling into shadow puddles as arrows flew from the woods. The wolves ran with their tails between their legs, going back towards the cave.

Hedge huffed and spat at the ground. "Dammit, I didn't get to kill any."

From the foliage two white wolves came out, contrasting with the black monstrosities that had tormented the four. Following them were hunters in white camouflage. One glared after the wolves and looked to three hunters on the left.

"Get them," she said. The other hunters and their white wolves broke into a run after their quarry. Leo had his weapon down, unlike Hedge who was scowling at the girl.

"You're not Nightshade," he said.

"No I'm not," the lead hunter said. She stepped forward and pulled her parka hood down. Wild raven hair spiked out and blew lightly in the cold wind as she looked over the group, a silver tiara gleaming on her forehead. Electric blue eyes looked them over before spotting the shivering Piper. She looked to the others. "Phoebe, take her."

"You'll have to get through us," Leo said, lifting his weapon.

"Easy, Valdez, they're friends...much as I don't like them for scaring off _my_ kills!" Hedge glared at the lead hunter.

"How are you so sure?" Leo asked.

"Because she's my sister," Jason said as he stepped forward. He handed Piper over to the other hunter, Phoebe, before returning his attention to the lead hunter. "Thalia Grace."

"_Who _told you that name?" Thalia asked, glaring at Jason.

"I know it because it's my name, too," Jason said. He stepped closer, hesitant and cautious. "I'm Jason. Jason Grace."

"Jason?" Thalia's eyes bulged out of her head slightly and she took a wary step forward before scrutinizing his face. "It is you...you have the same scar from trying to eat a stapler when you were two."

"A stapler?" Leo burst into laughter. "Here I thought you got in a fight in grade school or something."

Hedge just nodded as he leaned on his club. "Smart boy. Staples are good for you."

"We need to get to some cover," Thalia said. She looked at her hunters and then back. "I can't stay long, but I..._we_ need to talk.

"There's a cave about half a mile down the way the wolves came," Jason said. He looked to Piper, who was being bundled up and fed something from a bottle. "Piper's brother."

Leo's eyes went wide. "Oh, shit. I just thought of something. We couldn't kill the wolves because we don't have silver."

"And?" Thalia asked, not sounding all that surprised.

"We left him to fight the alpha male," Jason said, coming to the same conclusion.

* * *

"Die!"

Naruto braced himself as the hybrid Lyacon leapt at him, forcing back the concern he had for Piper, Jason and Leo. He fell to his back, using his feet to dig into Lyacon's stomach and flipping the lycanthrope over him into the cave. There was an offended squawk from Miu, who hopped back as Lyacon got to his feet. He glared at Naruto, his eyes red as blood.

"I'll enjoy feasting on your flesh," Lyacon said. "Children of Venus always have such tender meat."

Naruto's temper flared and he folded his staves under his arms, crossing his fingers in front of his face. "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!"

Ten clones appeared at his side and Lyacon grinned savagely. "They're not illusions...More meat for the grind, my pack will feast for days on your flesh!"

"Not today," Naruto said, one of the duplicates running forward and stabbing with his staves. Lyacon snarled at the offending clone and backhanded it into the cave wall, where it landed face first and dispelled. More clouds of smoke followed, Lyacon ripping through them like tissue paper.

"Solid illusions," Lyacon said. He had a deep snarl on his face. "You must be killed, you're too big a threat to our plans!"

"Not the first time I've heard that," Naruto said. He tossed his staves at the werewolf. Lyacon dodged and smirked at him, the smirk quickly falling into a look of shock as he saw a rapidly approaching foot. "Dynamic Entry!"

The kick landed and Lyacon flew back into the cave wall. Naruto kept up his attack, running forward with his hand back and a sphere of energy forming. He brought the Rasengan up and prepared to drive it into the wolf king's chest, only for the lycanthrope to grab his wrist and divert the attack to the side. The wall exploded and when the dust cleared there was a massive crater, Naruto's hand hovering over it.

"That was impressive." Lyacon had a gleam in his eye, one that unnerved Naruto. He lifted a clawed hand up to slice through Naruto when a shriek had him turning around. Talons clawed into his face and Lyacon roared in pain, tossing Naruto aside as he tried to fend off the eagle that assaulted him. There was a pained cry from the eagle as Lyacon grabbed her neck. He snarled at the struggling bird. "I _hate_ eagles."

"Let go of her!" Lyacon looked back at the blond and caught Naruto's fist as it flew at him. Lyacon tightened his grip around Naruto's fist, cracking filling the air as he slowly crushed the son of Aphrodite's hand. Naruto dropped to a knee with strangled cries.

"I'll let her go if you so wish," Lyacon said. He slammed the bird into the wall and then tossed her at the fire.

"Miu!" Naruto watched with his breath caught in his throat as his friend went through the flames, landing in a roll, possibly dead. His eyes went wild and the marks on his cheeks darkened. "I'll _kill_ you!"

"I doubt that." Lyacon twisted the fist in his grip and caught the other that was sent at his stomach. He lifted Naruto back up with a savage grin, the strange glint was back in his eye. "You are strong, son of Aphrodite, but not strong enough."

"I will make you _pay_," Naruto said through gritted teeth.

"No. You will submit." Lyacon pushed Naruto's hands back and the feral demigod fell to his knee again. "I am _the_ alpha male, the king of wolves! And you, boy, you..." He leaned forward, his pointed teeth gleaming with spit and blood, which was not his own. "You will _join_ my pack."

Naruto's eyes went wide as the sound of splitting flesh echoed in the cave. The pain he felt was worse than any he had ever before, even more than when Kurama was ripped from him. Naruto couldn't stop the scream that escaped his lips as Lyacon bit down on the space between his shoulder and his neck.

Lyacon pulled back, tearing the flesh off and exposing muscle as he did, ignoring the screaming blond. He released Naruto's fists and stepped back as he reverted to his full human form, pulling the skin from his teeth and chewing what remained in his mouth like it was jerky. He watched with sadistic glee as Naruto writhed and contorted on the ground.

"Yes, it hurts the first time, but what doesn't these days?" Lyacon asked. "First hangover, murderous. First time in bed, not horrible for us males, but for bitches? Oh, it kills them." He chuckled, lost in thought, before returning. "Yes, and let's not forget the first day of birth, that's psychologically scarring and painful I suppose. But nothing, not even the worst death you can imagine, is as horrible as being turned for the first time."

Naruto said nothing, still screaming as his body burned from the inside out.

Lyacon popped the rest of the flesh in his hand into his mouth. "Mm. You know, I'm quite disappointed you're so powerful. Your flesh is _divine_." He laughed at his own joke. "You'll see what I mean when that 'sister' of yours comes back in the jaws of my wolves. I'll let you have the first bite. Can't have you going after the son of Jupiter, now."

Naruto's skin started to heal and he started to lose consciousness. It was going black in his eyes, overcasting his vision like a cloud would the sun. Though despite this, he not once stopped screaming.

"Now comes the boring part," Lyacon said. He squatted down over Naruto with a grin on his face. "Waiting."

* * *

Naruto found himself in front of Kurama, on his hands and knees as chains seemed to appear from the walls. They wrapped around his arms and neck, restraining him. Lyacon's voice echoed in his head but he didn't listen to the words. Instead, he looked at Kurama.

"Kurama, please!" He felt like he was dying. This had to be it, when Kurama would come back. "I need your help!"

The grey kitsune did nothing and Naruto let out an anguished cry as a spike suddenly shot through his stomach. Another shot through either of his biceps and legs, pinning him in a subservient position on his knees. Voices echoed around him.

"_Embrace the pack. Embrace the pack. Embrace the pack._"

"Never!" Naruto grit his teeth and ignored the pain. He blocked out the voices as best he could. He continued looking at Kurama's sleeping form. "Wake up! You stupid fox!"

"_Obey your king._"

"Kurama!"

"_Serve the great mother._" It was a new voice, a deeper one.

"You damn stupid lazy fox!"

"_Retrieve Jason Grace_."

"I'm your warden!"

"_Bring him to me, so that I may revive the great mother._"

"And I said WAKE UP!"

Kurama's red eyes snapped open and blood red energy filled the room.

* * *

Lyacon stumbled back as his new pack member suddenly burst into orange and gold flames. Black pooled around his navel in a spiral, lines breaking from it to go up his chest and down either of his arms, spirals forming at his shoulders, hips and feet. Two small energy-like horns sprouted from his forehead and the whiskers on Naruto's cheeks turned into three solid black bars.

"What in the Hades?" Lyacon had to shield his face as the energy lashed out and knocked him back into the wall. He growled and got to his feet, glaring as the boy that was to join his pack rolled onto his stomach, revealing a large black spiral on his back, and calmly pushed himself to his feet. Lyacon opened his mouth to speak, but was cowed as Naruto's eyes snapped open.

Blood red orbs a darker shade than his own glared at him, slits acting as pupils. The flame-encased shinobi curled his hands into fists, looking down at them.

"Incomplete," He said to himself. The hands relaxed and he stared at his palm. Two large energy claws sprouted from his shoulders and centered over either hand as the eyes locked back on Lyacon. "More than enough to end _you_."

Lyacon snarled. "Insolent whelp! You reject my gift? I'll kill you!"

"I already have my own gift," Naruto said. The claws hovering over his hands started to rotate and two basketball-sized orbs of blue energy grew in his palms. "_Oodama Tsuin Rasengan!_"

He slammed the attack into Lyacon's stomach, plowing him through the mountain. The werewolf idly wondered when the demigod closed the distance between them, but focused on screaming instead as he was driven through countless layers of rock to the other side of the mountain. Breaking through had Lyacon soaring through the air until he broke down several trees. His ribs snapped back into place and he coughed up blood as he healed.

"Resilient," Naruto said as he walked forward calmly. Lyacon got to his feet shakily.

"I'll k-kill you, boy," Lyacon said with a snarl. "I can't _die_ from anything but silver!"

"We'll see about that." More golden claws of energy sprouted from Naruto's back and hovered over his head. Lyacon's eyes widened as each gained a similar orb as the last two, only this time they were the size of small cars. "Try this on for size, tough guy. _Chōōdama Rasen Tarengan!_"

The claws came down on Lyacon, the werewolf king screaming in agony as what he thought felt like a shot from the Master Bolt encased his whole body. He remained intact, but his spine and ribs were definitely shattered. He was broken, but alive, if barely.

"Huh, and I was sure that was going to kill you." Naruto walked over to Lyacon calmly and looked down at him. Red eyes were wide and gleaming as they looked down into the burning red that the wolf king had, glaring at the demigod with all of his hate. Naruto scratched the back of his head and sighed. "I didn't want to resort to this because of all the nature around us, but you leave me no choice."

Lyacon watched as another duplicate appeared and put his hands over the original's palm. A small black orb started to form and the wolf king felt his eyes widen in horror. Not much scared him, but he knew when he pushed his luck and needed to get the fuck out of dodge. That orb was nothing but bad news and it was the last thing he wanted to touch him.

It was most likely worse than silver.

By the time it was the size of a baseball, the clone had extinguished itself and Lyacon was almost back at to a point where he could run and regroup with his pack. Naruto was watching him and waiting, Lyacon knew what he wanted. The demigod was mocking him, acting as a predator whereas he would be the prey. This would not stand! He was _the_ predator! He was _the_ alpha male! He was the _damn_ king of wolves!

"Get up," Naruto said. His eyes were burning with want.

Lyacon felt a force overcome him and he obeyed the boy against his will. His legs healed and so did his arms. His spine was back to normal. Good. Now he could run!

"You, Lyacon of Arcadia, betrayer of Zeus and king of wolves, are guilty of murder." The demigod's eyes narrowed. "I sentence you to death by combat."

Lyacon wanted to laugh in the boy's face, gloat over his immortality being guaranteed, but he couldn't. As much as he tried, he could not move.

"Any last words?"

Feeling his jaw loosen, Lyacon couldn't resist. "I'll enjoy your sister's corpse when I return."

"_If_ you return." The demigod brought his hand back and threw it forward, the arm extending to cross the distance between them. "_Chō Mini Bijudama!_"

The orb touched his chest and Lyacon burned. Every molecule in his body exploded. Pain like no other, even _more_ than his first transformation, even _more_ than the last barrage, overcame him. Lyacon realized now that _this_ was what being hit by the Master Bolt felt like.

The world around him went up in a flash of white, and Lyacon knew no more.

* * *

Jason stumbled over as the mountain shook, the small group falling to the ground just outside of the cave. Then there was an earth-shattering boom that echoed for miles. He helped Phoebe, despite her accusing glares, and Piper back up to their feet.

"Rockslide!" One of the hunters pointed up. The group hurried back to the cave, rushing in as boulders fell down around them.

"What the hell was that?" Thalia asked. She looked up through the clouds at the sky, a bit nervous.

"Yo, Naruto? You dead?" Leo called into the cave. Jason gave him a light glare and followed, nearly tripping over something. He looked down and his eyes went wide.

"Miu..." Jason crouched down next to the eagle and hesitantly put his hands on her chest. There was a soft, barely noticeable beat. Jason's eyes widened and he looked to the satyr. "Coach Hedge! Help!"

Hedge ran over to Jason's side and winced. "Ouch. Crispy."

"Can you help her?" Jason asked.

"Maybe, I dunno, Grace." Hedge looked her over and then looked at Thalia. "Hey you got any, what'cha call it, petals of er, uh...it's a flower that looks like a used tissue?"

"Lily of the Valley? What, someone having a heart attack?" Thalia asked.

"Just give me the damn flower, buttercup," Hedge said.

Thalia glared at him. "Don't call me buttercup, shortstop."

"Flower! Now!" Hedge demanded impatiently. Thalia looked to Phoebe, who tossed her a bag, and then tossed the bag to the satyr. He ripped the sealable top off, tossing it into the fire before grabbing a small pinch of the plucked flowers. He ground them in his hand and opened the eagle's beak, letting the ground flowers fall into her mouth.

"Grace," he said. Jason and Thalia looked at him, though Thalia more likely glared, and he looked at Jason. "You. Rub her throat with two fingers. Gently."

Jason nodded and did just that. While he did that, Hedge went out of the cave into the woods.

"So, what's with the eagle?" Thalia asked. "You get a pet?"

"She's a friend," Jason said. He rubbed Miu's neck softly. "Very loyal to Piper's brother."

"So it's _his _pet?"

"I guess so."

"...Why the heck does he have an eagle for a pet?"

"I don't know, Thalia," Jason said, sounding a bit exasperated.

"Watch it, buddy, I'm still your older sister."

"His _hot_ older sister," Leo said.

"Dude." Jason flatly gave Leo a look while Thalia ignored him.

A few minutes later Hedge came back, whittling away at a new set of reed pipes. He blew into one end and a high note came out. He grunted. "It'll have to do. Forgive me if I ruin your eardrums. I've been out of practice for some time."

The next thing Jason heard was a beautiful flute solo. It tugged at his heart and he stole a glance at Piper, who was looking back at him. Jason looked away and looked at Leo, who was staring into the dying fire. Looking around, Phoebe was focusing on Piper's ankle while Thalia was lost in a thousand mile stare. It seemed Hedge had ensnared everyone in his music.

Hedge finished when Miu suddenly shot up from under Jason's hand, back on her feet and looking around. The satyr snorted and scowled. "So off key. My momma goat would tan my hide if she heard that."

"Coach Hedge," Piper said. "That was beautiful."

"You got corn in your ears, McLean. That was crap. It took three minutes to bring the bird back," Hedge said, tossing the reeds into the fire. "That's why I don't play instruments. I'm no good at it."

"I don't want to imagine what you think good music sounds like," Leo said, turning his head away and rubbing his eyes. Jason rubbed his cheek and blinked at the dampness of it.

Miu shrieked and looked around before her golden eyes landed on Jason expectantly. Jason looked back at her and shrugged. "I don't know where he is."

Miu gave a cry before going to the back of the cave, flying back with two items in her talons.

"That's Naruto's walking stick," Leo said.

"So where's Naruto?" Jason asked.

"You can find him later," Thalia said. "Listen, I don't have a lot of time. I need to get back to my hunters and return to my hunt. _We_ need to talk."

Jason looked to his sister and nodded, letting her lead him away so they could have a private conversation...plus Leo. Jason needed the support.

* * *

The water dripped nearby and Naruto woke up sore. He blinked his eyes and looked at the ceiling of his dank and dreary mindscape. He sat up and looked around. Sewer, check. Pipes lining the walls, check. Images of memories, check.

"Well, it's about time."

Naruto let a smile cross his face as he turned around. Giant orange-furred hate-demon-fox-monster-turned-close-friend? Check.

"I should say the same thing," he said. He held his fist out to the orange kitsune. "It's nice to have you back, Kurama."

"It's good to be back, Naruto," Kurama said, letting a smile cross his face as his massive fist pressed lightly against Naruto's. He laid down on his hand-like paws and watched Naruto patiently. "So...Care to tell me what in the name of The Rikudou is going on?"

So Naruto told him.

About the world beyond the Elemental Nations. The land of America, filled with humans more than nature, something Kurama snorted disdainfully at. The camp of heroes, which again, Kurama snorted at.

"Children of gods," Kurama said, huffing. "I'm the son of the Six Path Sage, the God of Shinobi, you don't see me going to a summer camp."

"Kurama, there's only nine of you, me and Sasuke," Naruto said dryly. "There's not enough of us for a camp."

"Marshmallows with the Uchiha? _Never_."

"Oh, come on, lighten up a bit! That was months ago!"

Kurama glared at Naruto flatly. "He trapped us in miniature moons and tried to kill you...Again."

"Water under the bridge," Naruto said, waving it off.

Kurama shook his head. "I will _never_ understand you, Naruto."

Then came the news about his mother.

"I fucking knew it! That redheaded whore was eccentric in her seal, chaining me up and piercing my body with spikes. That fucking bitch was the embodiment of love, my antithesis. What I would do to that slut...Er, no offense," Kurama said once his ranting had dwindled down.

Naruto rubbed his forehead. "A lot taken. But thanks for keeping it somewhat PG."

"Still...I can't believe you're the son of the love goddess..." Kurama drifted off and thought about it before smirking. "On second thought, yes. Yes I can. Little peacekeeper, you. Mommy must be _so_ proud."

"Shut up, Kurama!"

And then came the news about his father.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Kurama said dryly. "Let me see if I get this straight. Your mother is the goddess of love."

"Yep."

"She split a mortal aspect of herself off into some woman's womb."

"I guess so."

"She let that body grow up as a Jinchuriki of me."

"Probably wasn't part of the plan."

"Never is. Then later on she married your father, who was the son of a strategic war goddess."

"That's right so far."

"And then they had you, the reincarnation of the youngest son of my father, the one that rallied people into standing behind his brother's tyranny."

"Pretty much sums it up."

Kurama stared at Naruto for a long while before laughing. "God, I love being sealed inside you. Never a dull moment!"

"You're taking all this rather well," Naruto said with a grin.

Kurama's laugh died down to a chuckle and he grinned back. "I just had nap for several months and got to watch you obliterate a king with my power. Of course I'm in a good mood."

Naruto smiled. "I'm glad you're back, Kurama. It got lonely."

"I am glad to be back, Naruto." Kurama said, settling down on his paws again. He turned serious. "Now, as to this 'quest' of yours. Your half-sister's father is being held captive and she has until sometime today to lead two other demigods to the captor or her father dies?"

"Yep, but the quest is to save Hera, the queen of the gods," Naruto said. "They can't divert or it will mean the end of the world or something."

Kurama mulled this information over before nodding. "We will rescue the father then."

"Shouldn't I tell the others that I'm okay first?" Naruto asked.

"No, time is of the essence right now. The more time we waste the less time we have to save the human from death," Kurama said. "And I am not back to full power, so you will be without your Biju form."

"The incomplete cloak will be enough." Naruto nodded in assurance. "And if anything else I can fall back on sage mode."

Kurama scowled. "Damn toads...Useful, but damn them."

"C'mon, let it go," Naruto said. "How can you cooperate with others if you don't get over your past transgressions with them?"

Kurama went silent for a moment before he smirked. "That was a big word for you, Naruto."

"Shut up, Kurama!"

They held a stern look before both burst into laughter again. The laughter of two friends echoed in the mindscape. Hundreds of other memories filled the walls, filled with the sounds of Naruto laughing with someone else. When they died down, the memories did as well and a comfortable silence filled the air.

Kurama held his fist out with a smile on his face. "Ready to go show the world what _real_ power looks like?"

Naruto grinned and pushed his fist back against Kurama's. "You know I am."

"Then wake up, Naruto Uzumaki, and show them how strong we are."

* * *

Blue eyes shot open and Naruto pushed himself off the dirt-laden ground. He looked around at the giant hole he lay in. Part of the mountain he once resided in was now missing and a good portion of the woods he was once in had been obliterated. The sage pursed his lips at that.

"Grover's going to kill me," Naruto said, his head hanging.

"_Not if you don't tell him it was you,"_ Kurama said.

"I'm not going to lie to him," Naruto said. He looked up and walked to the epicenter of the giant crater that now filled the area. Standing in the middle of it, Naruto estimated it was about fifty meters wide.

"Yeah...Grover's going to kill me."

"_Enough wallowing over the past. Let's move."_

"Right." Naruto nodded and closed his eyes, focusing on Kurama's chakra and let it encase him, going to the incomplete cloak in a second. He looked down at his arms in awe. "I will _never_ get over this."

"_Focus, Naruto."_

"Sorry," he said. He crouched down and shot up, leaving the crater with a mighty jump. He landed about eighty meters away, groaning. "Okay, I'm just going to run."

"_Then run, Naruto! Geez, you always talk to yourself?"_

"Shut up, Kurama!" Naruto grumbled as he burst into a run, his arms hanging behind him as he did. Eventually he left the foliage, bursting through to an open plains and shooting through a small town. He ran on the road and passed a giant welcome sign, behind that was a white car with deactivated lights on the hood.

"Holy shit!" The policeman sitting in his car looking at his radar gun exclaimed. The red numbers were rising after the golden blur shot past. Eventually they came to a stop at one hundred and seventy five miles per hour. The policeman choked on his coffee and looked at the donuts sitting on the dash.

They were a day old.

He threw them outside of his car.

"I'm going back to alcohol."

"_Do you even know where you're going?"_

"West," Naruto said as though it were obvious.

"_Okay, new question. Do you know where _exactly_ you're going?"_

"Uh..."

"_I figured. Stop at the next small town and ask for a map."_

"Really?" Naruto asked, arching a brow.

"_Yes. I don't know the area. So even if you just glimpse it, I should get a bit of an idea what you're looking at because you're using my chakra. I'll break the image down and apply our location."_

"Just one question."

"_Go for it."_

"Do you understand the language of this land?" Naruto asked aloud in English.

"_Fool, you understand it. Your thoughts automatically translate it back to our native tongue and script. So when you look at it, it will translate for me."_

Naruto pouted. "No need to be so mean about it."

"_You don't seem to be taking this seriously."_

"I am so taking this seriously!"

"_Naruto...You're an idiot."_

"Hey!" Naruto's pout deepened. He thought they were passed that.

"_A _naked_ idiot."_

Looking down, Naruto felt his cheeks heat up again. Kurama was right, he was naked almost as the day he was born. Thank goodness he still had his boxers on, otherwise that would be awkward.

...No, it's still awkward.

He groaned and Kurama laughed.

"Shut up! Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"_Are you kidding me? You're the golden streak-er now! Son of the yellow flash-er!"_ Kurama was having a jolly good time with this if his laughter was anything to go by.

"You know that's not his moniker!"

"_Well...not in public but with your mother...she was a kinky thing, I'll give her that."_

Naruto tripped and doubled over several times before coming to a halt on his chin. His body bent over his head for a moment before flopping down to the ground. He groaned and got to his feet, dusting himself off. When that was done, the golden demigod glared at his navel.

"I did _not_ want to hear that!"

"_I'll bet not, but you have to admit it was funny."_

"I should just ask Octopops if he wants to switch biju when I get home!"

"_Ha! Now who's being funny? You love me and you know it."_

"Like a tumor."

"_I love you too, Naruto."_

Naruto just grumbled while Kurama chuckled in the back of his head. He continued to run until he got to a small town, stopping in an alleyway. Naruto looked around and as luck would have it, found a door on one of the buildings.

Thinking it may be a department store, Naruto walked in. He was relieved to find so many clothes hanging on racks. They were a bit strange though, not something he thought was regular attire.

"Antony!"

Naruto killed his chakra shroud as someone called a name nearby. No need to have the government after his ass...if he didn't already that is. A mousy looking man walked around the corner of one of the racks before jumping when he saw Naruto.

"Well if Antony is going to be late, you'll have to do," the man said. "Spin around."

"Uh, but I'm..."

"Ah, ah, save the butts for later, please." The man glared at him and put his hands on his hips. "Now spin!"

Naruto spun around and stopped when he was facing the man again.

"A bit shorter than we would like, but well defined...Fine, change out of those ghastly pants. Here, put these on." The man threw Naruto something and Naruto looked at the object. The man tapped his foot. "Well? Come on, you're on in five!"

"You're going to watch me change?" Naruto asked.

"Ugh! Always so shy!" The man said, turning around and crossing his arms. "Happy?"

Naruto shook his head and changed as the man requested. When he was done he pulled at the offending clothing. "Are they supposed to be this tight?"

"And a rookie at that! No wonder you're shy!" The man grabbed Naruto by his arm and pulled him through the racks of clothes to the front. "Come on, we're late!"

"_Ladies of the fine Cherry Bomb's early morning, we give you the Last Call!_" A suave voice said from speakers behind the curtain Naruto was led to stand behind.

"Hey, how's it going. I'm Todd," said a guy that was taller and a bit beefier than Naruto. He had a rugged face like Naruto had seen on the Wall of Fame in his cabin.

"Er, Naruto. Do you know what's going on?"

"We're partying man," Todd said. The curtain parted and a bunch of women stared back at them. There was a song playing over the speaker, Todd and the other guys started to walk oddly out onto the stage that had poles on it.

_American Woman~!_

"_What kind of music is this crap?"_

Naruto just shook his head, frozen like a deer in the headlights.

He was in a bar.

He was in a _strip_ bar.

He was in a strip bar _dressed_ like a _stripper_.

He was in a strip bar dressed like a stripper on _ladies_ _night_.

"Time to leave!" Naruto said to himself searching for an exit. He saw one to many strange dances for his liking and hopped down from the stage, bolting for the door. A woman snagged him by the back of his too tight leather pants. He gave a surprised squawk as several women, all very attractive in their own way, started to...touch him. They also slipped him some money, which wasn't frowned on, but still...

They _touched_ him.

EVERYWHERE_._

"Ah, tha-thank you. Thank you. Have a nice night, bye!" Naruto pulled himself away from the ring of twenty groping utensils, hopped over the bar and bolted out the door.

"_...So..."_

"I don't want to talk about it." Naruto grumbled as he walked across the street to a clothing store. He was going to break in, change clothes and leave this crazy town. He'll get a map at the next gas station or something.

* * *

**AN: It's been three days since I updated. I'm feeling generous. By the by, should've mentioned this earlier (I think I might've, but whatever), but Engineer4Ever has made a reading story of this fic. So, just wanted to remind or inform you about that.**

**REVIEW!**


	11. No 1 Knuckleheaded Shinobi

**AN: Co-Written by Engineer4Ever**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Percy Jackson.**

**Fils de l'Amour: The Lost Hero**

**Chapter 11: The Number One Knuckleheaded Shinobi**

* * *

The half-prince was quiet after his nest-sister left with the other predators. I did what the sage would've wanted and consoled him with my presence. His shoulder was smaller than the sage's, and uncomfortable, but bearable for his sake.

The fire-thrower was a relief for me. He took up the responsibility of cheering the half-prince up. The sage's nest-sister helped even more when she returned to the group. The satyr was counter productive and rude as always, just as the First Feather said they were.

When we left the cave, I took to the skies, flying around the mountain to find the sage. There was a crater, large enough to become a new, if not small, lake. I believe I can assume that the sage won.

I called out for him, my voice echoed in the cool air.

There was no response.

No matter, I pushed my worry down and returned to the sage's group. I am sure that we will meet later. First Feather always said it was easy to find his master because of their bond. I will find mine in the same way.

For now, I will watch the sage's nest-sister, the half-prince, the fire-thrower and the satyr for him. It must be difficult being a land walker. The poor sage's talons must get exhausted after he goes for his 'morning run' around the half-blood nest. And now his nest-sister has to climb a frozen path. A shame they cannot fly like me.

I perch myself on a statue of the Wind Lord, a friend of First Feather, and wait for the land walkers to come back outside. A breeze picks up and ruffles my feathers. Annoying. I brush them back down and look up when a tittering laugh echoes around me.

"Well now, aren't you precious?" I turned to the owner of the voice, a woman with red hair and purple eyes. My head tilted and I observed her, looking directly at her eyes.

I chirped and left my perch to land on her outstretched arm, careful not to damage it.

She is First Feather's sister, the Olympian.

"You must be Miu," she said. Her finger trailed down the side of my beak like the sage does. I lean into it, comforted. She tittered again. "Are you the one watching my baby?"

I answered yes proudly. I tell her that I was chosen by the First Feather to watch over the sage. She just smiles and says nothing else, tapping the bottom of my beak. My head tilted and she laughed.

"Keep up the good work, Miu," she said. "A big strong eagle lies in your future."

First Feather was right, his sister is very strange.

"Now, listen up." I straightened up when the Olympian spoke again. "I can't stay long, but do you remember the mall?"

* * *

"_So...About what happened at the Cherry Bomb..."_

"I said I don't want to talk about it," Naruto said. He was running again, sprinting through towns like they were moving backdrops. From the store he had grabbed some jeans, a black shirt with a weird smiley face that had two X's for eyes and an orange jacket from the clothing store. He didn't bother with shoes, mostly the chakra cloak protected his feet. In his hands was a crumpled up map. "Just passed a sign saying California."

"_I know. For what it's worth, I think you were stunning."_

"I so don't want to hear this, Kurama!"

"_Could've used something like that one girl did with the pervert back when you were on the training trip."_

Naruto pushed those memories to the back of his mind and fought down the blush that was crawling its way up his neck. "Shut up."

"_Or at least teased them with that flex thing Kirabi showed you."_

"We agreed never to speak about that!"

"_Left here."_

"Don't change the subject!" Naruto turned left.

"_Hell, you could've at least gotten a kiss. I mean, there are like _three_ kisses total that actually count in your life and two of them were with the Uchiha."_

Naruto wiped out again.

"_Granted the second one probably wasn't a real kiss. That was just misfortune."_

"Stop talking about that! Ugh, I think I'm going to puke!"

"_Isn't your mother the goddess of love?"_

"I may love Sasuke like a brother, but _that's_ as far as it goes."

"_I dunno...You sure chased after him a lot..."_

"He needed to come back to the village so someone could undo the brainwashing!"

"_Sounding real defensive here, Naruto."_

"I've had sex with a _woman_, Kurama!"

"_First of all, that wasn't sex, that was a hooker. Secondly, you could be bisexual. Never know until you try."_

"I...I'm so done talking about this with you."

"_Aw, did I make you mad?"_

Naruto didn't reply.

"_Oh, come on. I was just kidding around, Naruto. I know you don't like the Uchiha! You have to admit though, to the outside viewer..."_

"Just stop..."

"_He didn't react to your Oroike no Jutsu, so it's easy to assume the Uchiha might like you."_

"Neither did Octopops!"

"_Yeah, but he did ogle Matatabi's Jinchuriki's chest..."_

Naruto let a grin cross his face at that memory. "That was one of the best fights ever. Man, too bad Yugito died."

"_Oh ho...so he likes older women, does he?"_

"No! I, uh, it's just I would've liked to train with her."

"Train_...Suuure, yeah, that's what you meant."_

"I'm being serious here!"

"_It's okay, Naruto. I'm sure someone will love you and she'll even have dentures, too."_

Naruto gagged. "Ugh, you're gross."

"_Too old? Okay, narrowing down the age range."_

"We're _not_ talking about how old I like my women!"

"_Yugito Nii was around thirty..."_

"Shut up."

"_And that was when you were fifteen..."_

"Stop."

"_So...carry the seven..."_

"Where the hell did you get a seven!?"

"_Add in the two kisses with the Uchiha at age twelve…"_

"Hey!"

"_Stop."_

"You stop, I told you I don't want to talk about this anymore and-!"

"_No you idiot! Stop, as in, we're here!"_

Naruto scowled and came to a halt. He looked around and scratched the top of his head. "What do you mean? I'm standing at the base of a mountain."

"_Exactly. We're here."_

"In Oakland?" Naruto asked.

"_Close enough to it,"_ Kurama said. _"Your half-sister told you she was at the top of a mountain, right?"_

"Yeah, so?"

"_Think, Naruto, think. You're smarter than this."_

Naruto hummed and looked up at the mountain before looking down at the map in his hand. An idea hitting him, he pulled the edges open and looked over the green and slate colored paper.

"_We're at the base of Mt. Diablo."_

"Thanks," Naruto said as he found the mountain. He traced the mountain to the bay with his finger and blinked. "The Bay Area. And Oakland. All in the line of sight from this mountain."

"_Exactly,"_ Kurama said. _"Your half-sister's father is at the top of the mountain."_

"Easy," Naruto said, smirking. He prepared to jump when the chakra cloak cut out. "Hey! Kurama, what gives?"

"_Naruto, think about this. If you shot up there glowing like the sun itself, the mortal would be dead in a second,"_ Kurama said.

Naruto winced at that. "Yeah, and I'm pretty sure Piper wouldn't forgive me if I got her dad killed."

"_Your mother would possibly be a bit miffed, too."_ Naruto looked at his hidden navel and Kurama elaborated. _"Goddess of love. She probably loves all her children's fathers in their own way."_

"Huh, I never thought of it like that. Hey, for the embodiment of hatred that was pretty deep."

"_Tch, don't look too deep into it. Know thy enemy and know thyself."_

Naruto just smiled and folded the map up, tucking it away into his back pocket. He cracked his knuckles and ran at the mountain's rocky face, finding some grips before he began climbing, using just a bit of chakra to cover his hands and feet. He was going to go in slow and steady, conserving most of his energy for the rescue and the fight that would most likely follow. All of his rescue missions resulted in some giant fight anyway. Now he just had to literally fight one.

* * *

"Oh man, I'm not dead am I?" Piper asked out loud once she woke up.

The last thing she remembered was Aeolus flipping on them with apologies, saying that his orders came from someone higher up. Of course the dream she had before she died wasn't so bad, the fake memory of her and Jason's first kiss. Piper frowned a bit at the memory and scowled at her surroundings. Medea's Mall, the last place she wanted to see.

"No, sweetie, you're not."

Piper spun around and stared at who had to be the most beautiful woman she had ever seen on the planet. Absently, Piper wondered if the woman was an actress, because she seemed really familiar. The woman was elegant and fashionable without really trying, having a natural beauty that Piper was a bit jealous of.

She smiled and her eyes changed, darkening to purple and then lightening to blue. Her previously chocolate hair lightened to a light red and then darkened again to a balance between amber and a vibrant red. Piper blinked, thinking she imagined it before the woman's features changed again, her face rounding out a bit and then reverting smoothly to the model-like face it was before.

"Sorry, still cooking," the woman said.

"Aphrodite," Piper said. "Mom?"

"Bingo!" Aphrodite tapped Piper on the nose with a smile, walking past her to the nearest shop. She stopped and turned to look at Piper. "Well come along, I haven't got all day."

Piper numbly followed after her. "You're here...why are you here? I thought Zeus-?"

"Don't bring him up," Aphrodite said, rolling her eyes. "'History repeats itself. Let's hide away so she'll go back to sleep!' Brilliant idea, obviously working out for us."

"Who will go back to sleep?" Piper asked.

Aphrodite brought her palm to her forehead. "Sorry, Piper, I'm normally much more composed than this. My mind's a bit scrambled since I made my big gambit."

"Gambit?" Piper frowned. All she was getting were more questions instead of any answers.

"Your brother," Aphrodite said, grabbing a yellow top and holding it up to her chest. "A nice deal, but would look dreadful on me."

"How can anything look dreadful on _you_?" Piper asked. "And what has Naruto got to do with anything?"

"Natural beauty is so hard to come by, Piper," Aphrodite said. She set the top back on the rack and grabbed a red one. "Oh, this is cute."

"But you're the goddess of beauty," Piper said. "How can you not be naturally beautiful?"

"Goddesses can change their appearances with but blink of their eyes," Aphrodite said, smiling as she put the red top away. "So finding the right thing to wear is always so hard. I have to know _what_ I'll want to look like at a certain time. Believe me it's not easy."

"I'll take your word for it," Piper said, frowning. "What does Naruto have to do with anything?"

"Your older brother has a _lot_ to do with _everything_." Aphrodite kept looking through clothes. "You see, after the most recent fight with the Titans–"

"The second Titanomachy," Piper said. "Hephaestus told Leo about it."

"Humph, taking the fun out of our meeting," Aphrodite said. "Anyway, Hera has decided to play a risky game against her husband's wishes. However, I can see her side of it. The gods need the heroes to come together. However, she's putting a lot of faith in two boys who barely have had the same experiences that your brother has."

"Jason and that Percy guy, right?" Piper asked.

"Indeed." Aphrodite smiled as she pulled an orange shirt out that had a small frog on it. Piper looked around, wondering when they wound up in the baby section of the store. "You see, Piper, your brother is quite possibly the strongest son I've ever had, rivaling your divine brothers."

"You're kidding!" Piper gaped at that.

"No. And not to brag, but I'm fairly certain he's stronger than Zeus', Poseidon's or Hades' children," Aphrodite said. She was smirking proudly at that. It was then Piper noticed that the shirt in her hand was gone and they were back in the women's department. "Oh yes, Naruto has definitely surpassed Aeneas in strength, but he is not my only strong child this generation."

"There's another?" Piper asked.

"Yes," Aphrodite said, smiling. She pointed at Piper.

"_Me_?" Piper fumbled for words. Aphrodite had to be wrong, she was just Piper. Can't run with a dagger without risking impaling herself, hypothermic-prone, ankle-twisting Piper whose dad was kidnapped by a giant. "No, I'm not, I mean..."

"You're strong, Piper," Aphrodite said, cupping Piper's chin. "You're not afraid to get your hands dirty, you're clever and you're gorgeous to boot. A trifecta if I've ever seen it."

"But Naruto can multiply and do all these ninja things!"

Aphrodite laughed lightly. "You think this makes Naruto one of my strongest? Piper, there has not been a son of mine with a heart as pure as his in eons. Naruto is strong because he follows his heart and doesn't let anything get in his way. Admittedly he got some of Athena's hubris, but what's a demigod without some pride?"

"Right..." Piper frowned, still unsure.

"Piper." Piper looked up into her mother's eyes. "As we speak, your brother has gone to save your father."

"What?" Piper blinked in surprise.

"The oddest thing," Aphrodite said. She pulled out a blue dress and looked it over before looking back at Piper. "After he defeated Lyacon, he got up and left, heading off to California. A misadventure here and there, but I overheard him mention your name and the word father several times to himself. Always the hero, much like his own father. Self-sacrificing...Of course, that's why Athena doesn't like Percy Jackson! The same fatal flaw as Minato."

"Fatal what?" Piper asked.

"Nothing of importance, Piper," Aphrodite said. She hung the dress back up and they wound up in the potions department.

Piper frowned at the red vial that displayed itself so readily to the room, wishing she could grab it and give it to Jason.

"Now, now, stop thinking about your boy and listen to your mother," Aphrodite said. She smiled and Piper knew that a blush had crawled up onto face. Aphrodite grabbed a small vial and offered it to Piper. "You must meet Naruto at the mountain and give him this. He will give it to Tristan after he rescues him."

"Why can't I do it? I want to help rescue my dad!"

"I know, sweetie," Aphrodite said sadly. "This is a task that only one of Athena's can do properly. The giant who holds Tristan is her opponent, you know. Bred specifically to fight her and her kin."

"So I wouldn't have a chance..."

"Not true. Any demigod with the help of the giant's opponent would emerge victorious," Aphrodite said. "It is just easier if you let Naruto take this fight. He will ensure Tristan's safety, Piper, you can put your faith in Naruto. Many have and they have yet to be proven wrong."

"I do trust Naruto," Piper said. She bit her lip. "Will he be okay?"

"I've told you that Naruto is the strongest son I've had in eons, if not the strongest demigod alive today," Aphrodite said. "Your boytoy, Jason, comes in a close second, but he is hindered by a life he does not remember. Naruto has lived through war, war that not even Ares has seen, and defeated a being that would be on par with some of the minor gods, if not one as powerful as I, loathe I am to admit it."

"The Rabbit Demon?" Piper asked.

"Kaguya Ōtsutsuki was a daughter of Zeus," Aphrodite said. "Somehow she obtained power that nearly placed her in the same level as her father."

...Naruto killed Jason's sister...

The thought was surreal, impossible even, but it was true. There was nothing else Piper could say, nothing she could think of. Naruto said he had defeated a god, or whatever came close to it, and there was no way Piper could see herself doing the same.

"Now," Piper looked back at Aphrodite, "When you awake, you'll be close to him, but do not join him. This is his test and my own."

"Wow, no pressure."

"Unlike you and I, stress does wonders for Naruto's complexion."

"A bit more than I wanted to hear, Mom."

* * *

"Almost there," Naruto said, pulling himself to the top of the mountain. He stopped on the edge and hung for a second. After adjusting his grip, Naruto pulled himself up to look over the edge covertly. His eyes continued to go up when he found his target.

"The time is almost on us, human," a deep baritone voice said. The owner chuckled, his dreadlocks dancing atop the bronzed head. Weaved in them were white objects, which Naruto decided were bones and did not want to know where they came from. The thirty-foot tall monstrosity was human in appearance from the waist up, on the other end it was scaly and two draconian feet acted as trunks for the giant, keeping him upright. The human half was protected by gleaming bronze armor and in his left hand was a flagpole staff.

"_So that's what a giant looks like? Ugly bastard, isn't he?"_

Naruto said nothing, merely narrowing his eyes on Enceladus. He was looking at a man dangling from a crane, his arms chained above his head. That had to be Piper's dad. A grunt got Naruto's attention and he looked down, blanching at the twenty something men walking around. Each had six arms and wore only loincloths.

"_...Well that just makes it all the more interesting,"_ Kurama said.

Again, Naruto remained quiet, returning his attention to Enceladus.

"Three hours for your darling daughter to save you," Enceladus said. He smirked, the smile reaching up to the solid marble white orbs that had locked onto Tristan's body. "And then, after she has tried, I will kill her. Only then will I allow you to die."

"_That was the _worst_ line I've ever heard. And you fought a guy that spoke in the third person and called himself a 'good boy'!"_

Naruto bit on his lip to keep from laughing. He hated Tobi at the time, but now, looking back, the guy was a riot. If only Obito hadn't fallen victim to the curse of hatred, then maybe he would've been like a second uncle to Naruto. The blond shinobi shook his head, this wasn't the time to think about that.

"Indeed, I will kill you, your daughter and those two heroes...But first I will attend to my guest," Enceladus said, turning to meet Naruto's gaze.

"_Well, there goes the stealth route."_

"Never my strong suit anyway," Naruto said. He pulled himself completely onto the mountaintop and settled into a fighting stance.

Enceladus arched a brow. "Well, aren't you the machismo? Tell me, boy. What brings a young lad like you to a place like this on a day like today?"

"You've got my sister's dad," Naruto said. His eyes narrowed. "I'm going to take him back."

"Are you now?" Enceladus chuckled. "And how, pray tell, do you plan on doing that, young demigod? There's only one of you."

"I'm _never_ alone," Naruto said. He flipped his hands into his favorite seal and grinned. "_Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!_"

The side of the mountaintop Naruto occupied was engulfed in a cloud of smoke that blew away with the breeze, revealing fifty or so clones of the demigod. Enceladus' smirk fell and he gained a stern glare before pointing at Naruto with his finger.

"Kill him, Earthborn."

The six-armed men ran forward dutifully, yelling incoherently while the clones gave their own war cries. Naruto and several of his clones hung back and fell into meditative positions, Enceladus watching carefully. After a moment and about half the clones had fallen, the meditating blonds had gained orange pigmentation around their eyes, which snapped open to reveal the golden eyes of a toad.

"_Now!"_

All of the clones went up in smoke, leaving Naruto alone. He grabbed onto Kurama's chakra and pulled it out. It burned at first, but then the malicious chakra and nature chakra balanced out. Gold and orange flames engulfed him and Naruto glared at the giant with his four-pointed pupils. He had done this only once before and Kakashi had remarked how his eyes looked like a compass.

"Humph, a child of Apollo." Enceladus snorted and pointed at Naruto with a scowl. "I'm the Anti-Athena, boy! You should run off and wait for Orion to show his face."

"I'm not a son of Apollo. I haven't even met the guy!" Naruto scowled. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, son of Aphrodite, legacy of Athena and next Hokage!"

"A legacy?" Enceladus arched his brow. "Only a legacy? I'm insulted. Earthborn! Rid me of this pest!"

"Bring it," Naruto said, bringing his hands up to flip through hand seals. "_Senpū: Daitoppa!_"

Naruto reared his head back as chakra built up before he expelled a giant wave of golden wind from his mouth. The foot soldiers that remained were forced off of Mt. Diablo, soaring for quite some time.

Enceladus narrowed his eyes. "How did you do that?"

Naruto just grinned at him.

"Bah, no matter." Enceladus spun his spear around and expelled purple fire at the glowing demigod. "I may not be the largest of my brethren, but I am the smartest!"

Naruto jumped to the side, his eyes on Piper's dad where he was dangling for his life over the edge of the mountain. He had to make a big distraction for this to all pay off. Naruto grinned at the thought and bit his thumb. He ducked down again to avoid another blast of fire, his hands blurring through seals. The left hand slammed down and Naruto shot up.

"_Kuchiyose no Jutsu!_"

Enceladus sent a burst of fire to disperse it. From the smoke a deeper voice shouted out. "_Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu!_"

A large ball of water came out and met Enceladus' flames, extinguishing them. The mountaintop shook lightly and Enceladus blinked once the smoke cleared. Naruto grinned and crouched down, patting the fifty-foot tall dark red and blue toad on the head. The toad moved his giant cigarette around and rolled his golden eyes to glare up at Naruto. "You summoned me to take care of a shrimp?"

"Hello to you, too, Gamakichi. Still have an ego that matches the size of your head, I see," Naruto said.

The son of Gamabunta smirked. "Don't insult me. My ego's larger than that."

"What in the depths of Tartarus...?" Enceladus looked like he was unable to comprehend what he was seeing. The surprised look vanished in a second and he smirked before his dialect matched theirs. "Japanese, eh? Interesting."

Naruto blinked. "Huh, someone speaks it?"

"Why wouldn't he?" Gamakichi asked. "It's the world language, isn't it?"

Naruto laughed sheepishly. "Right, world language...Gonna have to take some maps back to Konoha with me..."

"Whatever, Naruto. Let's hurry this up so I can go home and play cards with Tatsu," Gamakichi said, reaching onto his back and pulling out his large tanto. "He's got a few packs of my favorite smokes and I want them back!"

Naruto shook his head. "Where did I go wrong with you?"

"_He's moving. Now, Naruto!_"

Naruto's red eyes locked onto Enceladus as the giant charged forward. Gamakichi blocked the spear with his tanto, struggling against Enceladus' surprising strength. Naruto jumped up and made his favorite hand seal again.

"_Taju Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!"

"Your parlor tricks won't fool me, boy!" Enceladus said. He turned to keep the score of duplicates away from his lure, but was halted as Gamakichi's tongue shot out and wrapped around his neck.

"I don't think so, asshole!" Gamakichi said. He kept the giant in place with all his might, fighting against the giant's struggling.

"Thanks Kichi!" one of the many glowing demigods said. His 'brothers' were mostly gathered at the front of the crane, pushing the machine back and away from the edge. The original was climbing the crane's neck to the cable from which Piper's dad dangled. Naruto slid down the cable and balanced himself on the hook.

"What's going on? Who _are_ you?" The movie star hanging above the ground asked.

"Name's Naruto. I'm here to help, so, don't hit me." Naruto grabbed the rope that was binding Tristan McLean to the crane's hook and pulled it up. He pulled Tristan onto his shoulders without effort and jumped from the hook to the ground. His clones banded together and used the transformation technique to change into a pile of mattresses for him to land on.

"Well that was fun," Naruto said, setting the man down. The movie star slumped to his knees, and Naruto followed. "Are you okay Mr. McLean?"

"Okay? I was told my daughter was in trouble, a-a giant kidnapped me and then you show up! Do I look okay to you?" Tristan asked.

No, you look like you're about to freak the fuck out. Naruto didn't say it, but it was on the tip of his tongue. Tristan was pale, sweating and had a terrified look in his eyes. Naruto had to wonder just how long he'd been dangling over the edge of the mountain.

"Um, no?"

"_Wow, what an excellent response, Naruto. That'll reassure him."_

"There's your answer," Tristan said. Naruto remained quiet as he helped his sister's father out of his binds. The movie star weakly got to his feet and moved off the mattresses, which then exploded into smoke. Tristan rubbed his eyes. "First giants, giant frogs-"

"Toads," Naruto said under his breath.

"-and now magic? What's next, gods?"

Naruto decided that _now_ wouldn't be the best time to say he was Piper's half-brother.

"I can't take it," Tristan said.

"Sir, I know you're going through a hard time right now, but I need to get you away from the mountain," Naruto said. He made his hand seal and three clones appeared next to him, all minus the glowing features he had. "They'll get you down and keep you safe."

"Fine, just get me out of here," he said. The clones nodded and wordlessly began to flee the area down the preferred path, leaving Naruto behind to watch them. He waited for a few moments before the mountain shook and he stumbled. He turned around and gaped at the sight before him.

"You think a mere amphibian can hold me back? _Me_? The Bane of Athena?!" Enceladus asked, pressing his spear down towards Gamakichi's eye. The summon boss' son was shakily holding him off, but the spearhead was getting too close for Naruto's comfort.

"Dispel, Kichi, I've got it!"

"You're sure?" Gamakichi asked, risking a glance. Naruto nodded and the toad grunted before he exploded into smoke, letting Enceladus drop to his knees.

The giant growled as his foe fled and looked at his original opponent. "You think you can best me, boy? I've waited an eternity for this."

"I don't think I can beat you," Naruto said. His comment had Enceladus smirking. Naruto wiped it off his face with his next words. "I _know_ I can."

"Your hubris will be your downfall, boy!" Enceladus spat a ball of fire at him. Naruto ducked under it and ran forward, charging head on at the giant.

Enceladus sneered. "Is this the extent of your abilities? Glowing and making duplicates of yourself?"

"This is just the beginning!" Naruto had his hands at his sides and two energy arms sprouted from his shoulders, cupping over his hands. Within seconds two basketball sized orbs appeared in Naruto's hands. He ducked under the thrusted spear and brought his hands forward, the chakra cloak extending energy arms out and driving the dual attack into Enceladus' gut "_Senjutsu: Oodama Rasenrengan!_"

Enceladus skid back from the force of the attack, leaving two giant grooves in the ground from his draconic feet. When Naruto released the attack, he grinned as the giant fell to his hands and knees, using his spear to keep him upright. Enceladus took a few deep breaths before he began to chuckle and rise back up.

"This just got interesting," Enceladus said, looking down at his rapidly healing stomach.

Naruto grit his teeth and cursed under his breath.

"_I suppose nothing short of a few Bijudama would obliterate him,"_ Kurama said. _"I'm still recovering energy, but if you needed to go full tailed cloak-"_

Naruto silently told Kurama to be quiet. He had sealed away the Old Man Sage's gift in both himself and Sasuke to ensure peace in his homeland. It was part of a treaty and he wasn't about to go and break it for no reason. He could take this giant out without resorting to that.

"You owe me a new chest plate, boy," Enceladus said, investigating his broken armor with a small frown. White orbs narrowed on the chakra-covered son of Aphrodite and a smirk crawled across Enceladus' face. "I'm going to enjoy using your bones to decorate my hair."

Naruto's eye twitched. "That was a crack at my mom, wasn't it?"

"It seems you _are_ a legacy of Athena."

"...I'm so going to enjoy killing you," Naruto said.

Enceladus smirked. "Of course you will. Provided that you get some help."

"_Enough talking, start fighting! Go bigger! Go harder!"_ Kurama said.

Naruto's hands lifted above his head and again two chakra arms sprouted over either hand, one spinning the chakra orb that was forming while the other balanced the nature chakra. Naruto's red eyes narrowed and he forced more chakra into the attacks, making them grow in size.

"You leave yourself defenseless!" Enceladus brought his spear back to thrust it forward. Naruto grit his teeth as two more hands sprouted from his sides, catching the spear before it could bisect him. Enceladus smirked and began pushing, forcing Naruto back. The shinobi dug his feet in, tearing up the mountaintop as he was forced to move. More chakra limbs shot out from Naruto's back and imbedded themselves into the ground, acting as anchors.

"Impressive, most impressive!" Enceladus laughed as he continued to push the demigod back. "I've never felt such a thrill since I fought Athena! I was mostly victorious in all of our meetings on and off the battlefield. She was strong like you, but smart enough not to get cornered, unlike you dear legacy."

"You lost then," Naruto said, trying to stall for time for his attack to build up. "How? Did she outsmart you?"

"Outsmart me? No, boy. She got lucky!" Enceladus sneered. Naruto had more chakra arms dig into the ground after glancing behind him. He had maybe ten feet left before he would be on the edge of the mountain. "A demigod shot his arrow just as she pierced my side. Then she and her brothers buried me under a mountain! I learned from my hubris, I learned patience. In a few minutes, one of two things will happen, either these constructs stopping me from killing you fail or the constructs keeping you on this mountain will. Either way, I win!"

"Or I've got option three: I beat you with my attack!" Naruto grinned as Enceladus looked up at the orb in his hands, and then further up to find that the energy arms had extended up into the sky and held a duplicate of the boy. He had thought the attack would be the same as before, but this time, Naruto had pulled his second most powerful attack out. It was fifty feet in diameter and was shaped like a four-pointed throwing star.

"A ruse..." Enceladus looked infuriated rather than afraid. "You made me believe it would be two of the same attacks!"

"And you fell for it!" Naruto said, grinning. "One of my chakra arms had a clone in it. I swapped with the original so he could finish it off!"

"Then...You've been keeping _me_ in place!" Enceladus' rage grew as two arms shot from the ground and wrapped around his arms and ankles. He looked up and purple fire shot from his mouth in a tower, trying to eradicate the original as he jumped down.

"_Futon: Chōōdama Rasenshuriken!_" Naruto shouted the name of his attack as he threw it. It parted Enceladus' flames like butter. When the attack hit its mark, Naruto was forced to cover his face as a large blue dome exploded. From the brief glimpse he had of it, it was nearly one hundred meters before it dispersed.

"Yeah! Choke on that one, Encle…Enchil...You stupid giant!" Naruto grinned at the smoke that had overtaken the mountaintop. He's grin fell as an overwhelming feeling of hatred hit him.

_DIE!_

"_Naruto, MOVE!"_

Naruto just barely managed to jump back and avoid being skewered by Enceladus' spear. He landed in a crouch and stared in shock at the panting giant. Enceladus' right arm was gone, along with a good portion of his right side, but it was all slowly reforming.

"You think you can kill me?" Enceladus asked. Naruto was frozen in place as Enceladus's presence became overbearing. The giant used his spear to stay upright, his right leg still regenerating. "Without a god at your side boy, I am invincible!"

"_He took a Chōōdama Rasenshuriken to the face and survived...This fucker is more slippery than Madara!"_

Naruto could say nothing, he couldn't find his voice.

"_Hey! Snap out of it!"_

Naruto blinked, his eyes losing the sign of a sage and reverting back to the normal slitted reds. He was out of nature chakra. That didn't happen in a lot of his fights. Naruto needed a new plan of attack. He can't risk another Rasenshuriken. Enceladus won't let him try to build any other attacks, and at the rate he's healing, Naruto would have to use at least three more Rasenshuriken to take the giant out. The area couldn't give that much natural energy without sacrificing a few innocent lives.

"Now, boy...what will you do?" Enceladus asked.

"_You can do it, Naruto."_ Naruto blinked and looked around. That wasn't Kurama. In fact, he couldn't reach Kurama anymore, something was blocking him. _"Your friend is sleeping now. He has exhausted a lot of energy and I encouraged him to regain it."_

_You knocked him out._ Naruto surmised._ Who are you?_

The voice didn't answer. _"You can win, Naruto. You must believe in yourself, do not let him get inside your head. If he does, you have already lost."_

_How? Nothing I have works, all my jutsu aren't strong enough and I don't have any weapons! And Chiron said all the gods were locked on Olympus so even _if_ I had a weapon I don't have one of them at hand!_

"_Then let's fix that."_

Enceladus' leg finished reforming and he stalked forward, his spear brought up. "It has been fun, legacy of Athena, but you are powerless to stop our revenge!"

Hoot.

Naruto looked past the giant and saw an owl roosting beside a gleaming object. Owls were good signs, signs of wisdom or a sign from...

"Athena!" Naruto grinned and ran forward, right between Enceladus' legs. The giant spun and swiped with his spear, kicking the dirt up behind Naruto and causing him to lose his footing. Naruto tumbled for a moment, but came to a stop next to the owl, its large eyes locked onto him.

"Glaucus..." Enceladus' voice growled over to them. The owl turned and hissed at the giant, flying off before Enceladus could roast him with purple fire. The giant scowled at the sky. "I'll enjoy that meal on another day, Athena. First, I must crush your legacy and make use of his bones."

Naruto reached out and his hands touched the gleaming object obscured by the grass. As soon as his skin made contact with the golden metal, a thousand ways to use it forced its way into his head and Naruto had a throbbing headache. He started to get back to his knees and used the golden pole to rise up to his feet.

Enceladus gave pause at the object. "That...No, they locked themselves away on Olympus! They wouldn't have...The owl! That damned avian will feed me for eons!"

"Not this century, you grotesque excuse for a sniveling sycophant," Naruto said. He blinked. "Whoa, that was weird."

"You may wield her spear, but it is not the same! I will end you demigod and all of your kin!" Enceladus charged forward with his spear drawn back.

_Act, never react. _The thoughts weren't entirely Naruto's own, a boon from Athena's weapon he supposed absently. Naruto gripped Athena's spear tightly in both hands and settled back into a ready stance. _He will thrust forward at my body, but he knows my speed and agility are more than enough to avoid it. His cheeks are purpling slightly, must be a sign of him building up fire. He'll probably try to roast me rather than skewer me. A constant stream so he only has to swivel his head and open his mouth. His arm is missing, only back to the elbow. I'll fake to his right, but instead go left, right at the spear. It'll act as a bridge, a clear path to his head. Then I will strike. Then I will win._

Enceladus' spear shot forward and Naruto moved to the right. He jumped back to the spear when the giant opened his mouth and spewed a stream of purple fire. Naruto used his chakra to run up Enceladus' spear, and jumped when Enceladus tried to shake him off. He brought Athena's spear back over his head with both hands and drove it forward into Enceladus' chest, because the giant stepped back when he was in the air. Enceladus cried out, his fire cutting out at the pain. Naruto doesn't release the spear, not fully, and instead uses his free hand to make a normal Rasengan.

"It's not an arrow but it will have to do," he said. Naruto slid down the shaft of Athena's spear, bringing his Rasengan forward to drive it into the same wound.

"No!" Enceladus began to break apart, cracks emerging from the point of entry. He glared at Naruto. "I will kill you, demigod! I will erase your existence!"

"Not today," Naruto said. He put his feet on Enceladus' chest and pushed back, pulling Athena's spear out as the giant began to build fire up in his mouth. Naruto jumped off just as purple flames escaped the cracks forming on Enceladus' body.

"No! Mother! Help me!" Enceladus began to crack and crumble as he stumbled back to the edge of the mountain. He lost his footing and fell.

Naruto raced to the edge just in time to see Enceladus' body explode in a blaze of purple. The chakra shroud expelled itself and Naruto was forced to release Athena's spear from sheer exhaustion. He fell back to the dirt, black edging its way into his vision.

Just before his eyes closed, he felt a shadow encase his body.

And once more, Naruto dreamed.

* * *

**AN: Congrats to Mr. Fallen, you are reviewer number 500! ****Fanfare and fireworks will be shown at X on Y day! Be there or be square!**

**HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!**

**Review!**


	12. Dreams and Reality

**AN: Co-Written by Engineer4Ever**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Percy Jackson.**

**Fils de l'Amour: The Lost Hero**

**Chapter 12: Dreams and Reality**

* * *

"Wake up, Naruto."

Naruto groaned and rolled onto his side. "Later, Kurama. My head hurts."

"He's got a point, Mr. Nine. It ain't chillin time. Fool, ya fool!"

"B, we've talked about that rapping."

"Don't be hatin' on me, Gyuki!"

"Octopops?" Naruto sat up with a groan, rubbing his eyes. He dropped his hand and took in his surroundings. A dimly lit cavern was where they were, but it was large enough to house the nine Biju, each about three times the size of Gamabunta. Behind him, ever loyally watching over him was Kurama. He was putting a tough act on, but Naruto could tell that Kurama was exhausted still.

To his immediate right was the eight tailed Biju, Gyuki. The Hachibi was an Ushi-oni, a beast with a bull-like head, but his left horn was shorter than the right. Gyuki had a strong torso and eight octopi-like tentacles that acted like his tails. He stood just as strong as Kurama, though just a bit smaller than his brother.

Standing in front of Gyuki was a muscular dark skinned man with platinum blond hair and a goatee. Oval sunglasses hid his eyes and on his left cheek was a tattoo in the shape of a horn, representing the beast he held within him. He dressed in white armor as seen in Kumogakure, the village in the clouds, but with a twist that made him more 'hip'. There were two swords strapped to his back and a large bandaged sword resting at his side. Samehada, the shark-scale sword, it was the man's second strongest weapon, not counting the biju forms.

This was Kirabi, aka Killer B, or as Naruto affectionately called him: Octopops.

"You know, he may not be as tired if he had the lucky number seven sealed inside him," said a buzzing voice. Naruto chuckled while Kurama growled at the seven-tailed rhinoceros beetle. Chōmei, the Nanabi, was always so laid back and calm whenever they spoke.

"I believe Kurama did an admiral job protecting him," a soft, yet deep, voice said. Kurama huffed, not saying thank you but acknowledging the six-tailed slug's words. Saiken was mostly quiet, only speaking when spoken to or when he felt it necessary. A similarity he shared with Tsunade's slug summons.

"If he had done a good job, we wouldn't be meeting now," said an irritated voice.

"Quell your anger, Kokuō," Gyuki said to the dolphin-horse. Kokuō huffed but remained quiet, his five-tails swaying lightly in annoyance.

"I'm sure Kurama has a good reason. He could have told us before Naruto awoke," said a deep voice to Kokuō's left. The red four-tailed monkey named Son Goku was sitting in a meditative position and watching Naruto carefully. He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Have you lost weight, Naruto?"

"Oh, good, I wasn't the only one to notice," a light chuckle escaped the turtle-like Isobu. He spoke even less than Saiken, and was often seen as the most caring of the nine as well as the most innocent.

"Maa, I think Naruto-san looks fine. A proper tomcat," said the nekomata to Isobu's left. Matatabi's green and yellow eyes were looking at Naruto like he was a kitten, making him pout lightly at the maternal care the Nibi showed him. Matatabi was respectful, but she was far more overbearing than he would've liked. She stuck around Konoha for at least two months before going her own way after the war ended.

"He certainly hasn't gotten smarter, look at the dumb look on his face!" A cackle escaped the Ichibi. The tanuki made of sand named Shukaku was mad, much in the way Dionysus would approve of. He often tried to pick fights with his brothers just for the hell of it, but would grow bored mid fight and find something else to do.

"Shut up, Shukaku," the other eight said in Naruto's defense. Naruto smiled at that, happy his friends were so willing to stand up for him, even if Shukaku was just playing around.

"Now that Naruto is awake, I believe we can begin," Kurama said. The other Biju looked to him, while Naruto was helped to his feet by Kirabi and received a fist bump. "Several weeks ago, Naruto was abducted by a goddess from his own living room."

"What?!" "And you allowed this to happen!?"

"Silence!" Kurama flared his power, quelling the anger of Matatabi and Chōmei. "I was still recuperating from being reunited with my other half."

"I knew I should've stayed in Hi no Kuni," Matatabi said.

"Quiet, Matatabi. Let Kurama continue," Gyuki said. His white eyes turned to Kurama's red. "After all, I'm sure there's a reason he allowed his Jinchuriki, our new sage, to be taken from us."

Kurama snarled at the accusation. "You filthy little sea urchin!"

"Kurama, Gyuki, stop!" Naruto had the two strongest staying put with just his words. "Gyuki, like Kurama said, he was still in recovery hibernation. He's only just woken up and has probably a third of his full power at his disposal."

"Only a third? Let's fight and see who is stronger, Kurama!" Shukaku said.

"I still have enough to beat each and every one of you into the ground!" Kurama was on his haunches again, ready to fight if need be.

"Kurama, don't encourage him." Naruto glared at the growling kitsune until he was sitting back down. He turned to look at the rest of the room. "And you guys are no better! Listen to my full story and _then_ speak."

"Fine," Kokuō said, glaring at Kurama and then looking irritably at Naruto. "Speak quickly, Nidaime Sennin, I wish to return to my forests."

"You will," Naruto said. He then began to recount everything he had learned. Like Kurama, the tailed beasts were shocked by the discovery of a larger world and of the Greek gods. They all shared a look when Naruto told them of his parentage, and pieces of answers to many of their questions about him began to click together.

"This...changes everything," Saiken said, summing up a lot of what the others were thinking.

Kirabi nodded, then whispered something to his sword. Samehada began shuddering and shaking, a rhythmic sound coming from the scales as they shuffled in tune.

Kirabi nodded his head to a beat and it soon filled the room, making the Biju groan.

"Yo! Say! Ho! Gods rule above and below me, but nothing can stop the mighty Lord Killer B. Ain't nobody, immortal, dead or alive can stop my power that resides inside. The people love us Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Naruto is their favorite word jockey. But when it comes to da real raps, ain't no one can top me. Why? Cause I'm the mighty Killer B."

"That was slick, Octopops. There ain't no doubt you can be topped. Think of this though, when you're writin' in your book, I'm the one where everybody looks. You might be the best, this is true, but I'm way cooler than you." Naruto grinned as he got into the rap spat. They did it all the time on the giant turtle island.

"Don't be joking like that, Mister Nine. You're not that cool, you're not even fine. It's not all their eyes on me that I want, it's their ears that ought to be taught. The words I say aren't meant to be seen, so it don't matter if I'm clean! I'll be on stage using my greatest tool, so don't try to challenge me, fool ya fool!"

"I'd rather be a fool-!"

"Enough!" Kurama wrapped the tip of his tail around Naruto's mouth, making the boy struggle against it.

"Aw, but it was getting good," Chomei said with a whine.

"Don't encourage them, please!" Gyuki rubbed the side of his face with a groan. "It's one thing when it's just B, but both of them? My head will split."

"I'll take your word for it." Son gave Naruto a wink and Naruto grinned back behind Kurama's tail. He was a silly monkey. "Now, there are otherworldly forces out there, do we have to fear from them?"

Kurama released Naruto's mouth and after giving his friend a mild glare, he answered. "No. The gods have decreed that our home, the former island of the Letoides–"

"The twin god and goddess, correct?" Isobu asked.

"Yes, Isobu. Apollo and Artemis." Naruto nodded. "Apollo is the god of the sun and Artemis is...well..."

"The goddess of the moon," Chōmei said. The biju collectively shivered at that. Even if the Shinju's body didn't create the moon, it was still up there and it was enough to give them a good scare every now and then.

"And she's the goddess of the hunt. She won't come after you because you're not 'game', so unless you guys plan to test your luck against her – and no, Shukaku you're not allowed to."

"Aww..." The giant tanuki looked like he had just been kicked.

"She'll probably leave you alone," Naruto said, finishing his earlier thought. "...Maybe. I don't know, I haven't met her."

"But you have met your mother, right?" Matatabi asked.

Naruto grinned. "Yeah. Twice now. It's so cool that my mom's a babe."

"And a goddess?" Son Goku asked.

"Yeah, that too."

"At least you have one parent alive," Matatabi said, purring while her tails waved idly back and forth. "Now tell us, Naruto-san, have you found a girl yet?"

"Matatabi, now isn't the time to pry into Naruto's personal life." Kokuō gave his sister a dry glare while Naruto sputtered and flushed at the direct question. She hissed at him for intruding on her fun and he arched a proverbial brow. "He's not even your original Jinchuriki, you should leave these sorts of things to Kurama."

"Yugito-san placed her trust in him alongside us, so I will watch over him like he is," Matatabi said. Her emerald and golden eyes gleamed as her blue flames danced mirthfully. "Besides, don't act all high and mighty. I saw you release some steam when Kurama told you he had been abducted."

"That was because without Naruto I would be hounded to be used as a weapon," Kokuō said.

"Both of you, stop it!" Naruto said. He rubbed his head as the two looked back at him. "Look, I've told you everything that I learned. I guess I need you guys to keep this on the down low and keep them from coming after me. I still have issues coming to grip with some things, so if any of the Kages find out about this..."

"It could be very problematic," Gyuki said. He nodded. "I will have B tell Ē-sama what we have learned and that the Biju will be on patrol."

"Do we have to?"

"Yes, Kokuō!" Saiken lightly swatted the grumbling dolphin-horse.

"This'll be fun!" Chōmei said with a buzz. His wings fluttered. "Ne, Naruto. If you need a lift, call the Lucky Number Seven! I'll pick you up in a pickle!"

"You have us at your disposal if you need us, Naruto," Son said in agreement.

He got to his feet and held his fist out to the blond. Saiken and Isobu stepped forward, their tails resting on his fist. Kokuō snorted before doing the same and Matatabi followed suit, placing her paw against Son's. Gyuki pressed his against Son's other side and Chōmei put his insect-like leg atop the Ushi-oni's fist. Kirabi went over to the fists and put his in, Kurama growled in annoyance at Shukaku, who pushed his against Matatabi's, before joining in.

Naruto grinned and pressed his fist against Kirabi's. "Alone we are strong, but together we're unstoppable!"

"Heh, didn't need a rap to tell you that, Mr. Nine," Kirabi said.

"Thank the Sage," Gyuki said under his breath, making his brethren chuckle or smirk.

"We await further word from you, Naruto," Son said.

Naruto nodded and the world went white.

* * *

Kirabi yawned and stood up, stretching as he did. He was glad to know that his buddy was okay. The hottie Tsunade had been getting antsy about Naruto's absence and it had been doing the same to Ē. Ē feared that a fifth war would break out should Naruto go missing for too long.

"_Which is exactly why you should hurry to his office and tell him to summon the Alliance Leaders,"_ Gyuki said.

"Ah, we're in agreement on that, Hachibi-sama," Kirabi said. He rolled his arm to loosen it up. Afterwards, he held his hand out to the large mass of scales that was sitting at his side. Samehada's mouth opened and chattered before its handle jumped into his hand. "Yeah, I hear you bro. Things be getting strange for our boy, Naruto."

"_Oh for the love of the Sage."_

* * *

Naruto didn't wake up immediately after his meeting with the rest of the Biju. Instead he found himself in a library. A _big_ library, at that. Naruto wandered around for a bit, trying to find the exit. While doing this, his eyes wandered over the book titles he walked past. There were a lot of history books on war in what he supposed was the west wing, and in the east were several books on weaving, tapestry and all sorts of architecture. To the south was a bunch of biographies and other random things, but it was in the north that Naruto found his choice of literature.

"_The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi_!" Naruto grabbed the copy of his favorite book and opened it. He read through the pages with a smile on his face. He was named after the hero of this book, after all. Naruto turned the page and cheered his namesake on as he fought against a horde of samurai. "Man, Ero-sennin wrote such a good book...why didn't anyone pick it up?"

"It was too idealistic for the time."

Naruto jumped slightly and turned, book closed and ready to be thrown. Behind him stood a woman whose beauty rivaled his mother's. Her hair was as dark as the night sky and looked like it was softer than silk. Her skin was fair and lightly tanned, contrasting perfectly with the charcoal business attire she wore. But it was her eyes that captivated him the most: the same shade of grey as Annabeth's, but instead of a thousand thoughts, perhaps millions were going through her head at once. It reminded him of the look in his dad's eyes when they fought against Madara.

"Athena." Naruto gaped and relaxed as she smiled at him.

"Hello Naruto," Athena said.

"Hi...Can I call you Grandma Athena?"

"No."

"...Please?"

"No."

"...How about Athena-baachan?"

Athena frowned slightly. "No."

"Athena-oba?"

"Just Athena will do, Naruto."

"...Fine." Naruto wasn't stupid. He knew when to let a battle go. And he would let this battle go...for now. His grandmother would not win this war! "Thanks for letting me use your spear."

"I only did what was needed to be done," Athena said. She turned and began walking, Naruto following swiftly after her. She turned and gave him another small smile. "You did well."

"Thanks!"

"You could have done better," Athena said. Naruto pouted and her smile turned upward into a smirk. "When Enceladus was reforming you would have had enough time to make a few Rasenshuriken. It would've hindered him even more and given you time to think up a strategy. Perhaps you could've prayed to me or...your mother, for help rather than waiting for me to fight my way into your head."

"Yeah, but...Uh..." Naruto struggled to come up with a good rebuff that would get her off his case.

Athena chuckled. "You could have done better, but you got it done, and that is what matters. I wished to congratulate you in person. Glaucus sends his regards, as well."

"That was the owl, right?" Naruto asked. The little guy sure was a help, distracting Enceladus for a brief moment was enough for Naruto to get his wind back.

"Yes, that was my owl," Athena smiled proudly. "He was insistent on getting the spear to you. I believe he knew that you needed a sign and a moment to catch your breath."

"He was right. Does he take sacrifices?" Naruto asked.

Athena arched a brow and gave him an amused smile. "No, but a prayer of thanks wouldn't be objected to, I'm sure."

"I'll do that as soon as I wake up," Naruto said. "So Gr-Athena, not that I'm not grateful or anything, but was there another reason for your visit?"

"You should be careful how you address me, Naruto. The same with the other gods. We don't tolerate disrespect," Athena said.

"No offense, but I don't just give respect out." Naruto crossed his arms stubbornly. "You have to earn mine. Everyone's equal, human, animal or god."

"I see. And have I earned your respect?"

"Well, yeah. You're my dad's mom." Naruto grinned. "But that means you're family, and family is family, I should be allowed to be me when I'm around family."

Athena blinked. "That's...a rather logical argument." She smirked. "I suppose I won't smite you, then."

"...Right, smiting...that's a thing..." Naruto chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry."

"It's fine. Just try to remember that the gods are stingy and not all are as lenient as myself. Like Poseidon for instance. He's more likely to drown you than save you." Naruto nodded to that and the goddess gained a small smile.

Athena stopped walking and grabbed a book from the shelf. She offered it to Naruto and he took it. "The main reason I have come to you, Naruto, is because I wanted to see what my son's child with Aphrodite was like on a firsthand basis."

Naruto looked at the book in his hands. "This is the book Anna-oba has!"

"I would hope so, this library is a projection of all the things I have knowledge of," Athena said.

"...You've got a _lot_ of time on your hands."

"Immortality has its boons," Athena said. She tapped the cover of the book in his hands. "In this are Minato's strategies in the Third War, his policies in government, and his greatest achievements documented by myself. When you awake, and return to camp, I want you to study it thoroughly."

"That's a lot of studying," Naruto said under his breath as he flipped through the book. "I don't suppose you have some copies to send to us. I have a trick that lets me learn things faster."

"I'm aware of it. I want them to continue the usual studies. You personally must study this one." Athena gave him a stern glare that had Naruto nodding somberly. She let up on her glare just slightly. "Good. You are a smart boy, Naruto. Minato would be proud of you."

"I know," Naruto said, smiling. He closed the book and offered it back to Athena. She did not take it, instead looked outside the nearby window. He followed her gaze and saw distant dark clouds rolling in.

"Zeus is aware that I am manipulating your dream, he's honing in on me," Athena said. She looked back at Naruto, her brilliant grey meeting his bright blue. "Olympus is closed to the world, Naruto, but I have a feeling that more of us will push for Zeus to open it once more. One last piece of advice; beware Jason Grace. He cannot be trusted."

"What? Why not?" Naruto asked, frowning. Sure, Jason was a son of Zeus and was probably falling for his sister, but there wasn't anything really bad or untrustworthy about him.

"Trust _me_, Naruto. Jason Grace is not to be trusted. Not with your secrets or with Minato's. Especially Minato's. Keep your father's work safe," Athena said. The booms of thunder got louder and the world around him started to darken significantly.

Naruto watched as Athena seemed to fade away. "Wait! Athena! What's happening that's caused Zeus to close Olympus? Why can't I trust Jason, you're not making any sense!"

"Be wise in your coming battles, Naruto Uzumaki."

* * *

"Athena!" Naruto sat up. There was a sharp beeping and Naruto winced, he looked down at himself and found a smock covering his body. He reached up and grabbed the sensors that were sticking to his forehead, peeling them off with a groan. When that was done, he reached into his smock and did the same thing to the ones on his chest.

Then a flat line appeared on the machine and within moments a few nurses rushed into the room.

"Sir! You need to lay back down," one said.

"Not happening," Naruto said, grabbing the IV in his arm and pulling it out. A queasy feeling overcame him as he looked at the needle and he quickly tossed it out of his hand. Naruto looked around. "Where are my clothes?"

"We can't give them to you yet. You need to be released by your guardian," the nurse said. "Sir, you need to lay back down! You have a concussion and we have some very troubling readings from the machine."

"Lady, trust me, I'm fine," Naruto said, jumping off of the bed and stumbling before the nurse helped him get back to his feet. "Ugh...I feel like I'm going to puke."

"I told you to lay back down. Concussions are no joke. I'll go tell the man who brought you in that you're awake," she said, helping him back to the bed.

"Good. I need to have a few words with him." Naruto glared at one nurse who grabbed the IV. "Get that away from me."

"That's not..." The nurse was quieted and all of them hurried out when Naruto repeated himself. When they were gone, he flopped back down to the bed and held his head.

"_Where the hell have you been!?"_

"Not so loud...headache..." Naruto groaned and squeezed his eyes shut.

"_I've been trying to wake you up for an hour now!"_

"Got lost...Had to talk to...'thena..."

"_Just settle in then. I don't like that she can separate us."_

"Believe me, I know," Naruto said, frowning a bit.

"You know what?" Naruto looked over to see Piper's dad walk in, his wrists bandaged.

"Nothing, just talking to myself," Naruto said. He scooted up in his bed to sit and looked at the man. "So...you brought me here?"

"After your...clones vanished I was afraid something happened to you," he said. He walked forward and offered his hand. "I never properly thanked you for saving my life. Tristan McLean."

Naruto smiled and took the offered hand. "Naruto Uzumaki. I'm a...friend of Piper's."

"Do you know where she is?" Tristan asked, looking a bit worried.

Naruto shook his head. "We got separated on a field trip. She's been worried sick about you."

"She was never in danger then," Tristan said. He scowled. "Jane is so fired."

"Who?" Naruto asked, playing dumb.

"My assistant. She's the one that told me Piper was being held hostage. I used the same cover for the authorities after you were brought in, but...when I get through with her..."

"Hey, the important thing is that you're safe and Piper's safe. There's no reason to bring violence into it," Naruto said. He grinned and winced. "Trust me. Violence can only solve so much."

Tristan sighed and sat down in the chair next to the bed. "I suppose you're right. I was just so worried. I never wanted to send her to that damn school either."

"Why did you send her?" Naruto asked. He hadn't heard a lot about his sister's past, but he knew she didn't like the school.

"She was stealing things constantly, and then was trying to play it off like she hadn't," Tristan said.

"_Sounds like that charm-language."_

Naruto nodded in agreement to Kurama. "Well, did you ever think about why she did it?"

"The doctor said she was a kleptomaniac," Tristan said. "She tried to swipe one of his plaques."

Naruto rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Mr. McLean, I'm an orphan and trust me when I say Piper is not a thief. I've had a...a not too pleasant past and regret a few things I've done, but some things I did and got in trouble for was because I wanted people to look at me and notice me."

"You think Piper was doing this...for attention?" Tristan asked.

"If I had a dad that was always busy, I'd want to get his attention somehow," Naruto said. He smiled lightly at the thought of being on the receiving end of his father's stern look after a prank while his dad sat behind the Hokage desk, still in his prime. That would have been nice.

Tristan rubbed his face. "Oh, I should've seen it. I made it worse by shipping her off to school without even considering it. She must hate me."

"I don't think it's possible for Piper to hate you." Naruto chuckled at the idea.

Tristan smiled again. "Thank you. A lot of things make sense, but I still have some questions-"

A sharp tapping at the window cut him off and they turned to look at it. Naruto beamed when he saw the reason why.

"Miu!" The eagle tapped urgently at the window again and he slowly got out of bed, ignoring the throbbing in his head as he did. He went to the window and slid it open. The golden eagle fluttered in and rested on the bed, looking at Tristan curiously before dipping her head, as if she were accepting his presence. Naruto went back to the bed and lightly stroked Miu's beak. "Boy are you a sight for sore eyes. I'm so glad you're okay, Miu."

The eagle chirped and nuzzled against his hand, crooning at his touch.

"I take it you know this eagle?" Tristan asked.

"Yeah, Miu's probably my best friend here," Naruto said, smiling as he continued to stroke Miu's beak and let her settle into a perch on his leg. He feared the worst when Lyacon had thrown her through the fire. "Right, Miu?"

"My father would think you have some sort of spiritual connection with her," Tristan said, having a distant look on his face.

"Something like that," Naruto said, lightly stroking the feathers on the back of Miu's head with a smile on his face. He looked down at Miu's leg and found a rolled up piece of paper tied around it. "What's this?"

Miu let him untie the note and went back to cleaning her feathers, satisfied that Naruto had given her enough attention. Naruto unrolled the paper and read the note aloud. "'Naruto. Quest done. Full story later. Need to come in. Urgent...Piper.'"

"Piper?" Tristan asked. He rushed out of the room before Naruto could stop him. Naruto looked at Miu with a sigh.

"Great. Now how am I going to get out of here?" Naruto asked her. Miu tilted her head before she resumed cleaning her feathers. Naruto chuckled. "Thanks for the advice. On my own, huh?"

Naruto eyed the window with a grin on his face.

* * *

Piper looked nervously back to where Jason, Hedge and Leo were hanging out by a smoothie shop. After they had saved Juno and she had brought Jason back from death with her charmspeak, they had obeyed Juno's advice to follow the eagle. Leo had built a rather impressive and intricate go-cart that ran on his heat from the remains of his helicopter. They followed Miu to Highland Emergency. Miu found a scrap of paper and dropped it in Piper's hands, which she interpreted as writing a message for Naruto.

"Pipes!"

Piper looked to the front door and her heart stopped for half a second. Her dad was alive. Naruto did it. He saved her dad. She was worried that her dad would be in the hospital in a coma or something or worse, Naruto would be dead along with her dad.

She took a few steps before she was pulled into the tightest hug she's ever been in.

"Dad!" she finally said, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him back.

"I'm sorry," He said. It was so soft that Piper barely managed to hear it. "I'm so sorry, Pipes. If I had known..."

"Dad, it's okay," Piper said. She pulled away and her dad reluctantly let her feet touch the ground again. "You were tricked by Jane, but you're safe. The giants won't hurt you anymore."

"Piper, I'm not talking about that," her dad said. He put his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry for never believing you."

"What?" Piper asked, blinking in surprise.

"All those times you were caught stealing...you aren't a thief. You're a neglected child, and I'm so sorry I put you through that," he said. His thumb brushed across her cheek and he smiled at her. "You're my daughter, Piper. Never forget that first and foremost I am your father. I love you."

"I...I love you too, dad," Piper said, biting her lip. The potion in her pocket felt like lead. She hated what she had to do, especially after what they just went through. "Dad...I...I need you to do something for me..."

"What is it, Pipes?" Tristan asked.

Piper bit on her lip. "Dad...I need you to-"

"Look out below!"

Piper looked up and gaped as from a window on the far right, about six stories up, fell a very familiar blond. Naruto landed with a crash atop a very expensive looking car, driving the roof inward. Piper ran to the car and a few people started to follow.

"Is he all right!?" Tristan asked, coming up alongside Piper. Naruto groaned and sat up, popping his back into place.

"That...was probably the worst escape from a hospital I've ever done," he said. Tristan and Piper watched him climb off the car with wide eyes. He stretched his arms above him and groaned. "Oh, yeah that feels better."

"Sir! Sir are you alright!?" A doctor asked, running up to them.

"I'm fine...aside from a splitting headache, but that'll go away in a bit," Naruto said. He smiled at Piper and Tristan. "Hey Imouto! Mr. McLean. Ready to go?"

"...You...What am I going to do with you, Naruto?" Piper asked, rubbing her head. She had to give her dad the medicine now. Before he goes insane like Jason's mom.

"You can clone yourself, beat up giants, glow like the Human Torch and survive falls from six stories," Tristan said. He put his hand on Naruto's shoulder and led him away along with Piper. "Come on, before the news gets here."

* * *

It took a while for him to get his clothes back, but Naruto eventually did thanks to Tristan. Who knew that being rich and famous and having access to the best lawyers around could be so useful?

Naruto readjusted his coat and then whistled, letting Miu roost on his shoulder once again. He looked at Piper, who was talking softly with her dad in a booth in the smoothie shop.

"So, how'd your fight go?" Leo asked. The son of Hephaestus was tinkering with his Boom Stick. "Piper said you were going to deal with Enchilada, letting us get to Juno."

"Huh? Oh, yeah...it went okay," Naruto said. He thought about what Athena told him and frowned a bit. He really could've gotten through that fight if he hadn't frozen up. That killing intent combined with sage mode, though...It was too much, his instincts took over.

"Just okay? No details?" Leo asked.

"Pah, whatever," Hedge said. He was chewing on an aluminum can. "Bet the blond idiot could barely move. Enceladus is a smart bastard."

"I didn't do that bad, throw rug," Naruto said, scowling at the satyr. He looked back into the smoothie store and saw Piper pull a vial out of her pocket and pour the contents into her dad's smoothie when he wasn't looking. He then glanced at Jason. "Do you still have the rest of the potion?"

"Yeah, why? You're not hurt are you? And I've got my memories back," Jason said. He looked like it, like he was trying to sort through it all. It blew Naruto's mind; Jason wasn't Greek, he was Roman. That explained a lot, but it made him wonder why Athena wanted him to be careful around him.

"Just give me the vial, flyboy," Naruto said. Jason shrugged and pulled it out of his pocket. He was amazed that the vial hadn't broken in all the fights and crashes that they had gone through. The son of Jupiter gave the vial to Naruto and the blond nodded. Naruto set his staff against his seat and prompted Miu to save his spot. He missed his staff. It would've come in handy against Enceladus. He carried the vial with him as he went inside.

"Piper, I can't believe you left your school!" Tristan was now chewing Piper out like she had done something wrong and she looked miserable for it.

"_Wow, he sounds pissed."_

Naruto agreed under his breath and ducked into the bathroom, using the Henge to appear like a overexcited fanboy. He ran back out and right at the McLean's table.

"Mr. McLean! Mr. McLean! Oh my gosh!" Naruto bumped against the table and knocked Tristan's smoothie to the floor. "Oh no! I'm so sorry, here, let me make it up to you and buy you another!"

"No it's...Fine..."

Naruto left before Tristan could finish. He went to the counter and ordered a small cherry smoothie. Paying the cashier, Naruto then went to the side counter and emptied the rest of the vial into the smoothie before recapping it, grabbing some napkins as he did. He set the smoothie in front of Tristan and asked for an autograph. Tristan gave him a death glare but sighed and did it anyway.

Naruto smiled and left, going to the bathroom and undoing the Henge. He walked back out and went to a nearby table to watch his magic happen.

Tristan rubbed his head. "Piper...I...We'll talk about this later."

He took the treat set before him and, after replacing the straw with a new one, took a sip. Naruto grinned as he saw the fog lift from his eyes. Tristan blinked a few times before coughing. The cold smoothie must have counteracted with the burning properties of the healing agent.

"Pipes...What...Did you just try to drug me?" Tristan asked, setting the drink down.

"W-what? Why would I do that, Dad?" Piper looked terrified at the thought and a bit ashamed.

"You did! Piper..." Tristan frowned at his daughter and put his hand on hers. "You slipped something into my last smoothie, didn't you?"

"Dad, I just..."

"Piper, don't you trust me?"

"I do, but-but mom said that you'd be unable to handle it and-and you might go crazy and she wanted to be a bittersweet memory..."

"Piper." Tristan stopped her with a word. "No matter what, all your mother will be is a bittersweet memory. I can never hate her, though. She gave me you. I told you before, you're _my_ daughter. From now on, you will be first priority. And if the studios don't like it, then tough."

Naruto grinned and left the smoothie store, giving Piper a wink when he caught her eye.

"_Drug her own lover into a peaceful bliss at the extent of her daughter's peace...I never knew Kushina had it in her."_

"Kushina doesn't." Naruto walked out of the store with a smirk plastered on his face. "Aphrodite does. And she should know that for me, no matter what, family comes first." Naruto looked up at the sky, the clouds overhead shifted a bit to look like the proud face of a bearded man and he squinted his eyes. "Zeus?"

"Where?" Jason asked, looking up. Naruto watched the clouds separate slowly as the passed over the sun.

"I thought I saw...Must've been my imagination." Naruto shook his head and reclaimed his seat, Miu reclaiming his shoulder as her roost. "So, tell me flyboy. What was your sister like?"

"She was hot."

"Leo!"

* * *

**AN: So begins No-Shave November. What does that have to do with this chapter? I don't know, just saying it like it is. Now a shameless plug: HOLY SHIT _FURY_ is A-MAY-ZING. Plug over.  
**

**Review!**


	13. Homecoming, Pride & Parties

**AN: Co-Written by Engineer4Ever**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Percy Jackson.**

**Fils de l'Amour: The Lost Hero**

**Chapter 13: Homecoming, Pride and Parties**

* * *

Tristan was able to pay for four tickets back to Long Island, and the trip was incredibly smooth. Naruto attributed it to Jason's presence on the plane. Naruto was a bit unsettled that he would have to wait for Miu to return to camp and that he had to hide his staff. Apparently when you twisted a specific part of the staff it shrunk down into what Piper called a laser pointer. Naruto enjoyed the laser part until Piper took it away from him when the stewardess threatened to take it from him.

He pouted the whole flight back to Camp Half-Blood.

A few hours after they returned, Chiron called for a cabin counselor meeting for a debriefing. It was during this meeting Jason told the rest of the counselors about his history and what Juno had told him.

"What do we do with this information?" Will of cabin seven asked.

Annabeth was giving Jason a wary and angry look while the others look just as confused.

"I think," Jason said. "That if Juno...Hera...Whatever, I think she wanted to bring the two camps together to stop Gaia and the giants. So if you wanted to find Percy Jackson, you'd have to go to Camp Jupiter."

"That's assuming Percy is there," Butch said. "Remember, Jason, we were told to find a demigod at the Grand Canyon."

"Plus, you said Jupiter is in California, which is bad luck for us," Annabeth said.

"It is?" Naruto asked, blinking. He leaned back in his chair and scratched his cheeks. "Huh, I thought it was rather lucky. I mean; I managed to beat a giant."

"What?!" The counselors, sans Leo and Jason, turned to Naruto and he chuckled sheepishly.

"Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that?"

"Yes!"

"Whoops!" Naruto chuckled as he scratched the back of his head. "Well, I fought Enceladus, the Anti-Athena."

The counselors began murmuring in disbelief while Annabeth blinked several times before beaming. Her nephew made good on his heritage.

"How did you beat him?" She asked. The details were sure to be amazing.

"Well, after a few of my personal attacks failed, Athena came to me in a brief vision," Naruto said. The counselors continued to murmur but fell silent at his next words. "Then she sent me her spear to use!"

Annabeth's jaw fell. "H-Her spear?"

"Yep! It sucked a lot though. Made me all boring and analytical," Naruto said, shuddering at the notion. He grinned and pointed a thumb at himself. "I'm Konohagakure's Number One Knuckle-Headed Ninja, and I can't live up to that name if I'm all smart."

"Sure fits the description," Will said with a huff while the other demigods snickered at Cabin Ten's counselor's proclamation.

"I want the full story later," Annabeth said, trying – and failing miserably, mind you – not to let her jealousy show. "It still begs the question: What do we do now?"

"We need to make contact with Camp Jupiter," Jason said. "We need to unite the camps for the coming war."

"Uniting the camps, huh? I'm in!" Naruto said, throwing his opinion in.

"Naruto," Chiron said after a long moment of silence. "Your vote will not count."

"What?" Naruto looked at the trainer in confusion.

"You left the camp without permission," Chiron said. He sighed. "I'm sorry, but as the current Camp Director, I have to revoke your status as counselor." That stirred the other counselors from their shock, bursting into whispers. Chiron stamped his hooves and frowned at them all. "You all forget that it was Naruto who left camp on a quest that was not his own."

"Chiron, Percy did the same thing," Annabeth said. "Twice!"

"I know, and it is because of that that I am revoking Naruto's status," Chiron said. "Percy was the only member of his cabin, so he was instead punished with chores after his return. Naruto is no longer the only eligible leader of Cabin Ten, there is another."

Naruto blinked before he followed Chiron's line of thought and grinned. He glanced at Piper, who was welcomed to recount her experience on the quest. "Okay, Chiron, you win." The counselors looked back at Naruto. He shrugged. "I can't be here year round, I have things to settle back home eventually. Besides, I already have a new counselor in mind."

"Please tell me it isn't Tanaka," Butch said. The other campers looked equally worried while Piper had a scowl on her face.

"No, Drew had her chance and I'll bet she's had to wear the shoes often when I was away," Naruto said. He crossed his arms over his chest and grinned. "I choose Piper McLean to take my place."

"What?" Piper asked, looking shocked.

Naruto stretched and got out of his seat. "I've got to go break it to the others. I know they'll all be heartbroken. I'll leave you guys to it then."

"Wha-Wait! Naruto! I don't-!" Piper was cut off lamely as Naruto opened a window and jumped out it. "...Want to be counselor..."

"Well, beauty queen, welcome to the club," Leo said, frowning. He sighed and resumed tinkering with his Boom Stick. "I'd rather be in the forges than at meetings, but my cabin chose _me_ to be the counselor. Ingrates. Who stops their curse? Me. Who wants to rebuild his awesome dragon? Me. Who is the last person that wants to be here? First two guesses don't count."

Chiron chuckled. "Well, Naruto has made a fine choice from what I've heard tonight. Take a seat, Ms. McLean. We have a lot of things to discuss."

* * *

"Well that went better than I thought it would," Naruto said. Of course Drew threw a small fit when she found out Piper was going to be the new head counselor, but he managed to nip that in the bud with a one on one conversation. Lacy took it a bit harder, calling his punishment unfair and saying it was out of Chiron's jurisdiction. Naruto just laughed and ruffled her hair, telling her he was fine with it. He had a much larger goal in mind than cabin counselor.

"_Your sisters are stranger than Matatabi. I thank the Rikudou for only burdening me with one,"_ Kurama said.

"Yeah, but they're great when they want to be," Naruto said. He interlaced his hands behind his head as he walked to the small enclosure that he would normally find Grover's girlfriend Juniper. Sure enough, she was there taking care of a few animals.

"Naruto," She said with a smile, standing from where she was kneeling next to a few rabbits nibbling on some vegetation. "Glad to see you're back. Sorry about your position being revoked."

"How did you...? Word must get around fast," Naruto said.

"I just told her," Grover said from his place to their left, glaring at the rabbits.

"What did the rabbits ever do to you?" Naruto asked.

"They're bullies!"

"Grover, how many times do I have to tell you to get over what happened when you were six?" Juniper asked.

"But Juniper..."

"Grover..." Juniper put her hands on her hips and glared at him. The satyr Pan had chosen as his successor and champion swallowed before inching his way out of the wood.

"_Talk about submissive,"_ Kurama said.

Naruto snickered, getting a dirty look from Grover, before he sobered up and grinned. "So, I found one of those sanctuaries you told me about."

"Really?" Grover asked.

"Yeah, there was a family of lions in it," Naruto said. He pulled out the seal he made on the scrap piece of paper Miu had gotten him in Detroit and placed it on the ground. His hands came together in a seal and Naruto channeled his chakra. "Fuin: Kai!"

The golden lion and cub appeared again in front of them.

"Er, not that I'm not a fan of statues, but...those are statues...golden statues," Grover said.

"Yeah, I know. I found them in a cave," Naruto said. "On their quest, I left the group for a second and the others encountered the guy that turned people to gold."

"Midas," Juniper said, frowning as she knelt next to the statue. She looked at Naruto. "Do you know how to get them out?"

"I do, but they're not the only ones I found in the sanctuary," Naruto said. He lifted his thumb to his mouth and took a few steps back as he bit it. Drawing the required blood, Naruto's hands blurred through hand seals before he slammed his hand down onto the ground. "_Kuchiyose no Jutsu!_"

Juniper and Grover blinked as the ground and Naruto were enveloped in smoke. After it cleared, their jaws fell when their eyes landed on Fukasaku. The old toad was looking around and then looked at Naruto with a grin.

"Naruto-chan. It is time, is it not?" he asked.

"You know it, Pa," Naruto said, nodding.

Fukasaku nodded before he hopped back and went through the same seals. "_Kuchiyose no Jutsu!_"

Another plume of smoke enveloped the area. It cleared to reveal the mother lioness and her cubs along with a purple toad that was the same height as Fukasaku. She looked around before her eyes narrowed on Naruto.

Naruto's smile fell. "Oh no."

Crack.

"Ow!" Naruto was on his knees, holding his head. "Why do you always hit me!?"

"You haven't been eating your grubs, Naruto-chan! Look at you, all skin and bone!"

"That doesn't excuse you hitting me, you crazy old toad!" Crack. "Ow!"

While this exchange went on for the next few minutes, Grover couldn't tear his eyes away from the two toads, Fukasaku especially. The old toad was lightly petting the lioness' muzzle while she nursed her kittens.

"Ma, Naruto-chan, I believe we've fooled around long enough." The two looked at Fukasaku before nodding, righting themselves and acting like it never happened. Fukasaku hopped over to the golden statue and picked it up like it were a feather.

"Holy..."

"Gods..." Grover shared his girlfriend's sentiment.

Naruto, remembering they were there, scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Oh, hey, sorry. Got caught up in reconnecting with Ma."

"Naruto...That frog-"

"Toad! Geez, it's really not that hard to see the difference is it?" Naruto asked.

"Uh...No, I guess not," Grover said, taking another look at them. "He's...What is he?"

"Humph, boy's eyes are worse than a snake's," Ma said. She hopped up to Naruto's shoulder and slapped him upside the head. "Manners, Naruto-chan, introduce us."

"Grover, this is Ma, or Shima-baachan, and the other one is Pa, or Fukasaku-sensei," Naruto said. He grinned. "They taught me how to be a sage."

"That explains the feeling they give off," Grover said under his breath. "But why can't I understand them?"

Naruto blinked and looked at Shima. "Have you understood anything he's said?"

"No," she said. "I have the gist of it, though. I feel like I will no longer be needed here, Naruto-chan. Pa! Don't be slacking off now!"

"Just go home already you crazy old bat!" Fukasaku glared at his wife.

"Who are you calling old, you old fart?!" Shima hopped down and began arguing with her husband. At the end of it, she dispelled the summoning and went back to the mountain the Toads called home.

Naruto turned back to Grover, who was watching the interaction with awe. "They must be speaking my homeland's native tongue, which, according to Anna-oba, is a bit of a blend of several Asian languages, Japanese being the most similar."

"So...you're trilingual," Grover said. He shook his head. "Should've known. Athena's children..."

"I'm just her grandson, I'm not all that smart." Naruto waved it off. He looked at Fukasaku, who was still holding the statue, and pointed past Juniper. "If you go in that direction, you should find some running water. Dunk it in and wait for them to return to normal."

"Send a few clones with me, I don't want to risk the kitten's life when the father wakes up," Fukasaku said.

Naruto nodded and made three. They left the clearing and Naruto went over to the lioness, sitting next to her head and patting it gently.

"Don't worry, your family will be whole again soon," Naruto said. The lioness made a groan and he chuckled. "Wish I knew what that meant."

"She said 'thanks cub'," Grover said, walking over and sitting next to Naruto. Juniper joined them and rested her head on the satyr's shoulder. The kittens finished eating and came out to play, investigating the dryad and her boyfriend while the lioness rested her head in Naruto's lap.

"This is what it's all about," Grover said. He smiled as he pet a kitten.

"You've got that right," Naruto said. He scratched the lioness' ear and she rubbed herself on his leg. "So...I can't go around not calling you anything." The lioness let a rumbling purr escape her and turned to lick Naruto's arm. "Joō...How's that sound?"

"What's it mean?" Juniper asked.

"Queen," Naruto said, smiling as the newly named Joō licked his arm again. "So what should we call the others?"

"This little cutie seems like a Simon," Juniper said, holding one of the kittens up to her nose and pressing it against his. The kitten just licked her face. "Like Simonides of Ceos."

"The poet, right?" Naruto asked. He had a few cycles of clones reading up right now. He looked at Joō. "What do you think?"

Joō let out a low roar.

"She likes it." Grover chuckled as he looked over at a kitten that was pouncing at a fluttering moth. "And that would be Simba."

Naruto furrowed his brow. "I don't recognize that name."

"It's from a movie," Juniper said, giggling at the newly named prince. She looked at the last cub in Grover's lap, lavishing in his attention. "And for the third prince?"

"Neji," Naruto said with a soft smile. The couple gave him a look and Naruto swallowed. "It was the name of my friend. He...Died in the war."

"Sorry," Grover said.

"It's alright. Still hurts though," Naruto said. He looked up and to the direction that Fukasaku went. "Finally! I was worried we were too late."

"What do you mean?" Grover asked. He craned around to follow Naruto's gaze. Joō lifted her head and then rose to her full height. Naruto followed her with a smile as three figures came from the brush. Joō walked forwards and her head brushed against the smaller lion, the two embracing and nipping at each other's necks.

"That is so precious," Juniper said as she hugged Simon to her chest.

"He's Mufasa." Grover grinned, chuckling sheepishly when Juniper gave him a glare. "What?"

"Really?"

"I like it!"

"Then the name of this one is yet to be determined," Fukasaku said as he carried the smaller cub in his arms. Naruto came forward and carefully, under the scrutinizing eye of Joō and Mufasa, picked the cub up. She, as he discovered when he picked the young lioness up, was shuddering from the water, mewing pitifully. "I leave them in your care, Naruto-chan. And don't forget, Bunta-chan wants to have a drink with you soon."

"Yes, Fukasaku-sensei," Naruto said as he sat down while Joō approached him. The toad nodded and exploded into smoke, leaving nothing behind. Naruto looked at the two lions as he took in the chakra of nature around him to increase his body temperature. "So young and tiny... Well, I only got to meet you from the Long Island Sound, but I don't think Sound is a good name."

"Nala?" Grover asked. He, Juniper and the three cubs joined the watching parents as Naruto heated the final cub up.

"No more Lion King!" Juniper said.

"But..."

"No!"

"Fine," Grover said, defeated.

"Karura," Naruto said after a moment. He had a smile on his face. "It was the name of my friend's mother. It means "add water" I think..."

"I think that's perfect," Juniper said, smiling.

Grover nodded and scratched the ear of Simba. "They can stay for a few days, but then I'll put a nature's blessing on them and release them into the wild."

"Fine by me," Naruto said as he used his jacket to dry the newly named Karura off.

"_Gaara would approve,"_ Kurama said.

Naruto's smile widened.

* * *

A week passed and the American Lions, as Naruto learned they were called, were released into the wild. This pleased Miu, who returned the day after Mufasa and Karura were released from their golden prison, because she did not want to share Naruto's attention with the cubs any longer. Naruto made, with Leo's help (when the boy wasn't working on his ship), special bands that went around each member of the small pride's leg, not hindering them in anyway. The bands were designed to track them and grow with them, so they wouldn't need to be adjusted, thanks to Uzumaki sealing techniques that he _refused_ to share with anyone.

Now, Naruto was working on a new seal.

"Just one section of the cabin..." Naruto put the piece of paper on the wall and for a second, his small portion of the room was bright orange before the seal sparked and fell off. Naruto groaned and glared at the ceiling. "Not cool, Kaachan."

"Embrace the pink, Naruto," Lacy said with a giggle.

"Never! Orange is the color of the gods! ...Er, well, maybe not Kaachan's, but I'm sure the others like it!" Naruto nodded sagely as if it were fact.

"The camp shirts are orange," Mitchell said.

"See?! Someone likes it!" Naruto crossed his arms smugly. "Thank you Mitchell."

"I never said I liked that the shirts were orange," Mitchell said.

Naruto scowled at him. "I thought we were in this together."

Mitchell snorted and went back to his homework for Ancient Greek. "I was just stating a fact. Thought you would appreciate it."

"Thanks." Naruto gave his brother a flat glare. He flopped back on his bed with a scowl. "Back to the drawing board."

"Shouldn't you be helping Annabeth and Leo?" Lacy asked.

"I am. Shouldn't you be doing your homework?" Naruto asked.

Lacy pouted and looked back at her desk. "Stupid clones..."

"That support should go here," Annabeth said pointing at a spot above her. One of the many pairs of clones that were helping in Bunker Nine nodded and lifted the support up. She nodded as they put it in place. "Perfect!"

"I'll say." Annabeth turned to see Nyssa soaking in the view of the shirtless blonds lifting heavy metal.

Annabeth gave Nyssa a flat glare. "Nyssa. I thought you were working on the bow."

"Leo said he had it covered," Nyssa said, waving at her while she kept watching the clones. The daughter of Hephaestus nibbled on her bottom lip as she watched the clone closest to her bend over.

"Hey, focus," Annabeth said, slapping the girl on the arm.

Nyssa frowned at her and looked back with a pout as the clones dispelled. "Aw..."

"We've got a job to do and you ogling my nephew is not part of it," Annabeth said.

"It's not a bad bonus though," Nyssa said, grinning slightly. Annabeth rolled her eyes as she turned back to the plans. Nyssa leaned over her shoulder. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"If it has anything to do with bringing more Naruto clones over here, I don't want to hear it."

"Damn." Nyssa snapped her fingers. "I guess I'll have to go with my other question."

"And that would be?" Annabeth made a small adjustment on the plans for the fuel source.

"...How did you get Jackson to notice you?"

Annabeth paused mid pencil stroke, blinking in surprise. She turned to look at Nyssa. "You want to ask him out, don't you?"

Nyssa nodded.

Annabeth crossed her arms and leaned back against the desk. She looked Nyssa over, inwardly smirking at the ability to make her fidget uncomfortably. She needed to be sure that the girl wasn't just interested in Naruto's body and was interested in him for who he was. Her nephew was more than just a pretty boy, he was smart when he needed to be. For a second her frown deepened. She missed Percy. Annabeth pushed that line of thought aside for now and focused on the task at hand. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Nyssa said. "Come on, don't tell me Jackson didn't make you feel funny. Like a piston going full-throttle in your gut? And he's actually mature, unlike the little boys we have running around here most of the time."

"And the fact that he's very good looking?" Annabeth asked, not betraying anything.

"...Bonus?" Nyssa smiled nervously. Annabeth's eyes narrowed slightly. Nyssa sighed and clasped her hands together. "Come on, Annabeth, you know me. I really, really like him. Please?"

Annabeth added a smidge more to her glare, making Nyssa fidget just a bit more. A few seconds ticked by, then Annabeth sighed and started to rub her head. "Fine."

"Yes!" Nyssa pumped her fist victoriously. "Thanks, Annabeth. So, um, any idea of how I get him to go out with me?"

Annabeth hummed in thought. "The Christmas Party is tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah."

"Be direct." Annabeth turned back to her schematics, trying to get her mind off the party and what she just agreed to.

"Direct, huh?" Nyssa walked away while tapping her chin. She grinned. "I can do direct."

* * *

Naruto hammered a nail into the wall and took a streamer from a daughter of Apollo. She, along with two of her sisters and a few girls from Demeter's cabin, had asked him to join them with decoration for the party. Not one to turn down the offer to help – unless it came to math – Naruto agreed. So here he was, standing on a ladder, hanging a golden shimmering streamer thing on the wall. "Is this good?"

"Just a bit higher, Naruto."

Naruto grunted and pushed it up a bit higher. "Here?"

"A smidge to the left!"

"How about now?" He asked.

"No, now it needs to go right."

"Um, can just one of you tell me where to put it?" Naruto turned to look at them, slightly disturbed by their intense stares.

"No." They all had dreamy smiles too, weird.

"I think it looks fine as it is."

Naruto looked past the girls, who had turned around, and beamed. "Hi, Nyssa!"

"Hey Naruto," Nyssa said, giving her own light smile as she walked in. "Can you come down here for a second? I need to tell you something."

"Sure!" Naruto jumped down, grateful he didn't have to deal with standing on a ladder any longer. He blinked in confusion at seeing the other girls glare at Nyssa, but shrugged it off. He stopped a good arms length away from her. "So what can I do for you?"

Nyssa closed the space between them with a small secretive smile on her face. "Are you going to the Christmas Party with anyone?"

Naruto frowned and blinked. "No...Why?"

Nyssa's smile widened and she put her hands on either side of his face. Before he could ask what she was doing, Naruto found himself tasting cooked marshmallows. He heard the other girls gasp, and felt his body relax into the kiss. Nyssa broke away just as he started to reciprocate.

"Pick me up at my cabin at seven tomorrow. See you later, Naruto," she said, running a finger down the middle mark on his right cheek. Nyssa smirked and walked away, leaving him stunned and frozen in place.

His eyes dropped to her swaying hips and he licked his dampened lips. The other girls followed after her, each looking angry or annoyed. Naruto ignored them, instead just put his hand on his cheek and let it slide over to his lips, trying to come to terms with what just happened.

"_Way to go, Naruto!"_ Kurama said with a laugh. _"Guess you can answer Matatabi's question now."_

"Yeah..." Naruto said, not looking away from the door or moving his hand from his lips. He didn't react when Leo walked in, covered in soot, grinning like a loon.

"Naruto! Dude, ready to suit up tomorrow?" Leo asked.

"Hm?"

"Tomorrow? Party?" Leo said, looking at Naruto like he was crazy. "Dude, we're going to be the center of attention! Wingman, remember?"

"Wing-what?" Naruto asked.

"The chicas, dude!" Leo pulled Naruto into a one-armed hug and put his hand on Naruto's arm. "You." He put his hand on his own chest. "Me." He looked out at space and wiped his hand across their line of vision. "All the girls...I've been working on my lines for an hour now!"

"Oh..." Naruto said. He blinked. "Uh, sorry...I think...I think I have a date."

"What!?" Leo asked, pushing away from Naruto like he was diseased. "With who!?"

"Nyssa."

Leo's eye twitched for a second before he donned a thoughtful look. Leo hummed before giving Naruto a stern glare. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."

Naruto nodded slowly. He wasn't sure he remembered how to walk yet.

Leo nodded and stormed out of the room, grumbling under his breath about sisters ruining his plans for domination. Domination of the ladies, that is.

Naruto just took a seat at one of the already decorated tables, rubbing his lips while still thinking about the kiss. Ten minutes passed before Leo returned. Only now, he had two black eyes.

"Okay...That didn't work. Ow. Luckily, I have a new plan," Leo said. He winced when he blinked and then pointed at Naruto. "You...Be the worst date you can be. Like, so bad it'll be legendary! That'll teach Nyssa to interfere in my plans."

"What?" Naruto blinked and frowned. "Why would I do that?"

"Dude, I'm your wingman! Haven't you ever heard the phrase bros before...Uh, on second thought, don't want to call my own sister that," Leo said, wincing. Naruto just stared at him blankly. Leo shook his head. "Anyway, the fate of my life is at stake here!"

"How?"

"My single-life! If you have a date, how am I supposed to get a date?"

"...Ask someone to go with you?"

"...What are you smoking and where can I get some?" Leo shook his head and sighed. "Look, this is pretty basic Animal Planet stuff, man. Guys need to stick together like girls do. Here's how it works: Girls talk to you, and with me being your wingman, they consequently talk to me, and I show them awesome!"

Naruto furrowed his brows together. "Wait...That makes me sound like I'm bait..."

"What? No, dude, you're the _wing_man. You help me keep afloat in the never ending sea of chicas."

"...What do I get out of this?"

"My, uh..." Leo thought about it for a second. "My friendship?"

"I thought I already had that?"

"...I have many levels of friendship. You get bumped up one."

Naruto shook his head. "Why don't you go to Jason? Girls like him."

"He's going with Piper, the traitors..."

"What?"

"...Oh so she didn't tell you?" Leo grinned, wincing as his bruises were stretched. "Yeah, she asked him."

Naruto pursed his lips in thought. He couldn't really do anything if Piper asked Jason out. There was no real malice about them dating, but still, Athena's words bothered him. Why would the goddess of strategy warn him about not trusting Jason? Was it because he was Roman or something?

"We could team up and spy on them! Make sure nothing happens," Leo said.

Naruto put his face in his hands and sighed. "No...I may not like it, but I trust Piper."

"Do you trust a hormonal boy who's the son of Zeus? Er, Jupiter?" Leo asked. "You know, the guy who's been married for how long and has had how many affairs? Come on...Who knows what's going n in the sex driven head of his?"

Naruto blinked. "Like you?"

"Wha-a-at? Me? No way! I'm as pure as an angel," Leo said. He smiled and a fire halo appeared above his head. "See?"

Naruto smirked. "Nice try, but I was trained by a guy who called himself _the_ Super-Pervert."

Leo blinked and the halo extinguished. "Really?"

"He even wrote some books." Naruto pointedly decided to leave out his involvement in writing two of them.

"...Do we have a Greek translation for it?"

"No." Naruto glared flatly at the boy.

"Come on!" Leo threw himself at Naruto's feet. "Look at my face, dude! I need this! Help a brother out!"

"Let go of my leg!"

"Give me a book! I'll do my own translation!"

"No!" Naruto got up and started to go back to his cabin, dragging Leo along the way. "Seriously, dude, let go!"

"I refuse to let it go!"

"My leg or the book?"

"Both!"

Naruto groaned and pulled himself into the doorway of Aphrodite's cabin. He couldn't fully enter because of Leo's unwelcome presence on his leg, so he had to grab his staff and try to pry the son of Hephaestus _off_. Seeing the sad puppy-like look on Leo's face, Naruto sighed. "Look, I'll...I'll get the first book translated for you, okay?"

"...Really?"

"Yes! If it'll shut you up...I got all the rights to them in Ero-sennin's will and it'll be good practice for me. Translating, I mean! Not that it would be practice for anything else." Naruto hung his head in defeat. He hated writing the books, they brought out the worst in him.

"Yes!" Leo hopped up and grinned. "Thanks dude, see you later!"

Naruto groaned again, rubbing his forehead. He hated reading Ero-sennin's work...It was _a lot_ more than he was ever ready to read. Man, he thought he was done with perverts.

* * *

"Now, you need to keep looking at other girls, make sure they stay interested," Drew said. She fixed the black jacket her brother was wearing with a click of her tongue. "Did you have to wear the _orange_ shirt?"

"Don't diss my orange. And besides, I hate dressing up," Naruto said. He scrunched his nose up at the thought and pulled at the collar of his shirt. Drew slapped his hand away. "Why did it have to be a tight shirt?"

"Because, my simple big brother, girls _like_ seeing your chest. Even if it's hidden by this thin cloth," she said. She sighed and sat him on the bed, messing his hair up a bit. "You should be a model."

"An _underwear_ model!" one of their sisters said, making the others snicker.

"That's-that's not funny," Piper said, trying to hide her own amusement.

"My dad has a few connections," Lacy said with a giggle. "We could use the money for camp!"

"As helpful as that would be, I'll pass," Naruto said dryly.

"But think of all those parties you could get us into!" one of the girls said, pouting at him. "Think of the possibilities for us!"

"Yeah, and then Piper's dad could help too!"

"Hey!" Piper's amusement had turned into embarrassment. "My dad is not a piece of meat!"

"I beg to differ," Drew said, smirking.

"Hey, still a couple of guys in here," Mitchel said, scowling. He turned to Liam, another young son of Aphrodite. "Seriously, as if there wasn't enough estrogen."

"Amen, dude."

"At least we have Naruto now," Cole, another of the few sons, said.

"And Naruto is going to be late," Piper said. She went over and pulled him away from Drew. "And despite whatever _you_ believe, Drew, Naruto should _never_ be late for a first date."

"I've only been on one date before and the girl cried." Naruto frowned slightly. "And I think she might have been using me."

His feelings toward Sakura were confusing; he didn't have them anymore, but it was still was weird thinking back on it.

"Just means you need practice using them," Drew said.

"Thanks for helping, Drew!" Piper rolled her eyes and pushed Naruto to the door. "Go. Be nice, be yourself and forget _anything_ Drew told you."

"I've dated more than you, McLean! What's your score again? Zero?"

"One!" Piper said smirking as she followed Naruto out. "I have to go pick up _my_ date!"

"I hope you trip in mud!"

"Love you, too, Drew!"

Naruto didn't have to walk as far as Piper did. He found himself in front of Cabin Nine's metal door within a few seconds and knocked on it.

"_Relax. Unlike the first date, this girl likes you, obviously."_

Naruto took a deep breath. "Yeah, I know."

The door opened and Leo stepped out. He looked good in Naruto's opinion. A nice suit, flashy suspenders and a bowtie worked for him. The son of Hephaestus's eyes had returned to normal, seems he got some medical attention.

"Is that what you're wearing?" Leo asked, a brow arched.

"Why is everyone asking me that? I'm comfortable! ...More or less," Naruto said. He glanced down at his dark pants and glared at the tennis shoes Drew had shoved onto his feet. How the hell were they supposed to support him if he needed to land from a rooftop? His toes couldn't spread to take the kine-kisthe-...The force of the landing. He shook the thought off and crossed his arms, frowning. "Why, is that what _you're_ wearing?"

"I make this look good," Leo said, holding his suspenders out in front of him before letting them snap back into place. He glared at Naruto and crossed his own arms. "And unlike _you_, I've got a real wingman this time."

"After you begged and pleaded with Jack."

"Shut up, Nyssa," Leo said, frowning. "Why are you meeting so early anyway? The party doesn't start for another hour."

"It's called a 'date' for a reason, Leo," Nyssa said. Their argument was drowned out as Naruto looked Nyssa over subtly. Her red bandana was still keeping her hair back, but rather than sweaty and matted, her hair looked brushed and looked like liquid chocolate. She had a light red blouse on and tight pants that clung to her curves, keeping true to her tomboy personality. Her eyes met his just as he snapped back up to look into them and she smirked. "See something you like?"

"Uh...Er, yes?"

"_You're an idiot, Naruto,"_ Kurama said. Naruto grit his teeth slightly in response to that, while Nyssa's smirk widened and Leo groaned.

"Great...Well as fun as it is hearing you two flirt, I'm going to go practice my lines again. Don't stay out too late and Naruto?"

"Yeah, Leo?"

"I will _fry_ _you_ if you hurt her."

"Leo!" Nyssa glared at him while Naruto swallowed.

"Right." The son of Aphrodite nodded.

"And if you go further than first base."

"LEO!"

Naruto felt his cheeks heat up at the prospect. "Yeah, okay..."

"Glad we understand each other," Leo said. He grinned and grabbed the door while Nyssa, her own face as red as her bandanna, grabbed Naruto's arm and led him away. "You two behave now, ya hear?"

"Shut up, Leo!"

Leo just cackled as he closed the door. "Consider us even, sis!"

"So...is there anything specific you want to talk about?" Naruto asked as he and Nyssa walked through the camp. The party wasn't for another hour, and if that wasn't nerve wracking enough, he had no idea what to do.

"Well..." Nyssa hummed for a moment in thought. She shrugged. "All I know is that you're from this distant island."

"Get to know each other?" Naruto gained a small smile. They stopped walking and turned to face each other. "We could introduce ourselves properly..."

"I'm pretty sure we did that when you first got here," Nyssa said, smirking at him.

"It doesn't hurt to do it again." Naruto gave her a grin. "Naruto Uzumaki. I like ramen, training and my family, which is admittedly a lot bigger than I first thought it was. I don't like stuck up assholes, megalomaniacs or traitors. My dream for the future is to be the greatest Hokage that Konohagakure no Sato has ever seen."

"Hokage?" Nyssa asked.

"The leader of my village." Naruto beamed proudly.

"I didn't see you as a political man," Nyssa said. She smiled. "Nyssa Glades. I like tinkering with things in the forge and other hot things."

Naruto rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I'm not _that_-"

"Son of Aphrodite, your argument is invalid." Nyssa cut him off. "I don't like when other girls at camp talk about me behind my back, but what girl does? I also don't like it when something I try to make falls short or doesn't work when it should. My dream for the future...hm, I don't know. Survive for that long, I guess."  
"So negative," Naruto said teasingly. She shoved him lightly and he laughed. They resumed walking together and wound up on the beach. Without much care for their clothes, both sat down in the sand. Naruto looked up at the stars and frowned slightly. "I miss Konoha."

"What's it like? Your home?" Nyssa asked. She turned her head to look at him.

Naruto let a smile fall on his face as he leaned back on his palms. "It's awesome. Konoha is one of the strongest villages on the continent. And it's beautiful, surrounded by trees...nature's everywhere."

"The satyrs and naiads would probably love it," Nyssa said.

"Yeah..." Naruto sat quiet for a moment. "I don't think I'll be a year rounder...I can't bear to be away from home for that long."

Nyssa let a laugh escape her. "You and I couldn't disagree more on that. I wouldn't leave camp for anything in the world."

"Not even for your mom?" Naruto asked.

Nyssa frowned. "My mom...She's more interested in her job than raising a kid. I knew after my fourteenth birthday that I would be better off on my own than bothering her."

Naruto frowned, empathizing with her. He moved a bit closer and rested his hands on his knees. "You don't really think that do you?"

"The last time I remember my mom taking any active interest in me was when she heard I got into a fight and nearly got someone killed in shop class," Nyssa said. "It wasn't my fault. A stupid monster was in the school. A cyclops, of all things, disguised himself as a student and sniffed me out. I was in shop when he couldn't control himself. I don't know what the others saw but he tossed a boy at a table and the engine that was dangling above it nearly fell on him. I pulled him out of the way, but I guess the others saw me push him and then try to save my own skin."

"What happened to the cyclops?" Naruto asked.

"I threw a wrench at him and nailed him in the eye. He stumbled back and fell under the engine. That's why I pulled the kid out of the way. The engine fell after that."

"That makes you a hero."

"Tell that to my mom." Nyssa scoffed. "I've heard stories about how parents drop their kids off in the summer and then pick them up at the end. Me? I'm fine here. I've got the forge and my cabin, that's all I need."

"That sounds lonely," Naruto said softly.

Nyssa swallowed. "It is."

Naruto scratched the back of his neck. "Look, Nyssa...if we...you know, don't _go_ anywhere...I'll still be your friend. You don't have to be alone."

"Still have to try to go somewhere before we get that far," Nyssa said with a soft smile.

"Yeah, I guess we should do that," Naruto said with a chuckle. He looked back up at the stars. "But still...I'll always be your friend."

Nyssa let her head rest on Naruto's shoulder. He didn't move her or move his arms, letting her get comfortable. "Thanks, Naruto."

"No problem." They sat in silence for a few minutes, enjoying each other's presence. After fifteen had gone passed, he looked down at her. "So...when does the party start?"

Nyssa looked up at him with a sly smile. "Who cares about a stupid party?"

"...Something tells me I don't."

"_I retract my previous statement. You're not an idiot. But you are still stupid, Naruto."_

Naruto ignored Kurama as Nyssa leaned up and gently pressed her lips against his.

* * *

**AN: Uh...Don't know what to say...Twirt, Grape Soda, Niddlebloop, and Thinwhistle. There. That should satisfy you.  
**

**Review!**


	14. Capture The Flag

**AN: Co-Written by Engineer4Ever**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Percy Jackson.**

**Fils de l'Amour: The Lost Hero**

**Chapter 14: Capture The Flag**

* * *

"Campers!" Naruto looked up from the schematics that were in front of Nyssa at Chiron's voice. It had been two weeks since their first date and they had a few since then. Now he was sitting with Nyssa and looking at the designs she had made for a new type of kunai made of celestial bronze. "Meet at the pavilion to prepare for the game!"

"Guess we should go get ready," Nyssa said, frowning slightly. It was Ares v Athena again, and despite what everyone thought he would do, Leo sided with Cabin Five along with the cabins of Apollo, Demeter, Hecate, and Hermes. This left Jason to side with Athena along with the cabins of Aphrodite, Dionysus, Hecate and Iris.

She didn't like being set up against her boyfriend or siding with Clarisse.

Naruto chuckled and rolled the blueprints up.

"You can tell me more about the knives later," he said. He handed the blueprints to her and took her hand. "Let's do as the horse-guy says."

"Fine," Nyssa said. They stopped by her cabin and dropped the blueprints off before heading over to the pavilion, letting go of each other's hands and going to their respective tables.

"Campers!" Chiron greeted them with a smile. "Once again it's time for the Capture The Flag game!"

The campers cheered, all murmuring excitedly.

"The rules haven't changed," Chiron said. "The north side of the forest will go to the Red Team and the south to the Blue Team. The creek will be the boundary, as per the norm. All magical items will be allowed! Prisoners may be taken, but will not be bound and/or gagged. Opponents may be disarmed, but _not_ killed or maimed."

"Why is that a rule?" Naruto asked softly.

"Ares' kids occasionally can get _too_ excited," Lacy said.

Naruto nodded in understanding and looked back at Chiron.

"No more than two guards for either flag," the centaur said. "And finally, all of the forest will be legal territory."

"Finally." Someone from Apollo's cabin scoffed.

"Shut up, Dustin!" Nyssa glared at the boy.

"Calm yourselves," Chiron said. "I will be acting as field medic and referee. Arm yourselves and prepare for battle!"

The tables became littered with armor and weapons. Annabeth turned and sought Naruto out, waving him over to her. Naruto walked over to Athena's table, his staff in hand and a simple long black piece of cloth in the other.

"What's up Anna-oba? Hey, Malcolm-Oji," Naruto said to the cabin's second in command.

"Naruto." Malcolm nodded to him, not caring about the added suffix.

Annabeth, however, frowned. "Stop calling me that in public."

"No promises," Naruto said. "So what'd you need?"

"When we get to the forest, go set up some traps," Annabeth said.

Naruto beamed. "I can do that?! You got it."

"There's more," she said. "You'll be on flag duty. Alone. But I want scouts in the trees and a few on offense to disarm or trigger whatever traps the Hephaestus cabin sets up."

Naruto nodded. "Right."

"Don't engage if you don't have to," Annabeth said. "We'll have a separate squad on retrieval."

Naruto nodded again. "Anything else?"

"If you see Leo, capture him," Malcolm said. He got a frown from Annabeth and Malcolm shrugged. "Leo could easily reactivate the traps. He's the biggest threat they have."

"Agreed," Annabeth said. She looked back at Naruto. "Only if you see him. Don't search him out."

"Right. Are you guys going to send Jason after him?" Naruto asked. The two children of Athena frowned and he arched a brow. "Was it something I said?"

"No, Naruto," Malcolm said before Annabeth could speak. She gave him a glare and he gave her a pointed look that said 'later'. Naruto didn't know what they'd have to talk about, but decided to drop it.

Annabeth looked back at Naruto. "Go back and get ready. And _please_ think about using a sword."

Naruto rolled his eyes. Annabeth always wanted him to use a sword, but it wasn't his thing. Kunai, sure he'd use those, but swords? Bleh, let Sasuke keep his sword. Naruto twirled his staff and slammed one end down onto the ground.

"I'll pass, thanks," Naruto said. There was a cry and Miu landed on his shoulder. "Hey, ready to do some scouting?"

Miu cried her agreement, taking an offered snack and then taking to the sky.

"One more thing," Annabeth said. Naruto looked back at her and blinked at the knowing smirk on her face. "Don't go easy on Nyssa."

"I won't!" Naruto felt his cheeks heat up and he stormed away without another word. Annabeth and Malcolm were chuckling behind him, making him flush even more.

To ignore them, Naruto looked at the assorted armor and weapons set on his mother's table, picking a small dagger up with interest. It was similar to Katropis, but at the base two smaller blades branched out. It reminded Naruto of his father's Hiraishin kunai. He set the sheath in place on his waist and drew the dagger, putting it back when a horn sounded.

"Armor, Naruto?" Piper asked. She was wearing a light bronze armor that had a leather skirt along with shin guards and under her arm was a helmet that lacked the normal blue plume.

Naruto grinned secretly at her. "Nah, I'll be fine."

"Naruto..."

"Trust me, Imouto." He tapped her forehead with two fingers. "Your Niichan is too strong to get hit."

"We'll see about that!" Jeered someone from the red as they walked past to get in formation.

"I'll be waiting at the flag," Naruto said.

* * *

Naruto had his hands in his lap, his staff was imbedded in the ground behind the flag. He was sitting cross-legged and had his eyes closed, balancing on a clone Henged into a sheet of metal that was set atop his staff. He reached out to his clones with his chakra, refueling them.

One popped and Naruto arched a brow at the memory. "Huh...Headhunter seals work..."

Based off of his sensei's jutsu, Naruto had devised a seal that would grab an opponent's foot and suck them down into the ground so that only their head remained above. A few unfortunate children of Apollo had discovered this the hard way, sucked into the ground as they tried to sneak through his team's territory. Naruto just chuckled, remembering what one son yelled at his clone before it dispelled to tell him about the prisoners.

"Well, I wonder if all children of Apollo are as cruel in their insults," Naruto said to himself. He crossed his fingers in front of him. "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu._"

Four clones poofed into existence and Naruto sent them to retrieve the prisoners. Naruto settled back into his meditation, taking a deep breath before nearly falling off as a new clone dispersed. The memory was fresh and he couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

_Clone's Memory_

"I thought I already deactivated this tripwire?" Naruto said. He scratched his head and followed the line to a tree. "It wasn't here though..."

Naruto ducked as a beam of golden energy shot out and hit the tree, burning it where his head would have been. Naruto turned and stared wide eyed at his attacker.

"It's set to stun," Leo said proudly as he blew smoke off of his Boom Stick. "So, you're messing with my traps. What's up with that?"

"Uh...Rules of the game?" Naruto said.

"Dude, first you ditch your wingman and now you mess with his stuff? Not cool," Leo said. He took aim at Naruto again. "Look, I've got you. You don't have distance magic or whatever that ninja stuff is. You're close quarters."

"...Nyssa..." A part of Naruto felt hurt that Nyssa had used what he told her against him and a part was a bit proud. It was just a giant prank war, everything was fair game. Except for the sensitive bits, those are _always_ off limits.

"Yep! Never thought that having a sister dating the camp's resident ninja would ever be cool until now." Leo waved Naruto over. "Try anything and I'll stun you."

"That would imply you could," Naruto said. He held his hand up in one seal. "I'll defeat you with the ultimate technique in my arsenal! My first unique Jutsu!"

"I said don't try anything!" Leo shot his beam. He gaped as Naruto jumped up and stood on the branch above them, defying all laws of gravity. "...Okay, maybe I should've set up a few more traps."

Naruto dropped down and landed, his chakra exploding around him. "_Oroike no Jutsu!_"

The area filled with smoke and Leo coughed, looking around wildly with his weapon. When it finally cleared, Leo spotted blond hair and aimed his weapon. "Ha! A smoke bomb, that's the best you have? I've...Uhh..."

Naruko put her hand behind the devil horns on her head and stood in a position that showed off her full hourglass figure. Her other hand dragged the purple glove on it down her side and stopped at the edge of the equally purple heeled boot. Her chest jiggled, held together by the concealing yet enticingly revealing bra, and the fake devil tail moved very realistically.

"You aren't going to shoot me, are you, _Leo-sama_?"

The seductive voice had Leo setting himself on fire and passing out. Naruko smirked and undid the jutsu, reverting back to Naruto as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Another example of the less-is-more rule," he said. He went over to Leo and bound the pyro in Ninja Wire, something more durable than regular rope and yet still hard to see. "This should keep you in place til the replacement comes to get you."

Naruto then exploded into a cloud of smoke, sending the memories back to the original.

* * *

"Oh man, I can't believe that worked!" Naruto said, falling from his place on the staff onto his back. The sheet exploded into a cloud of smoke when it hit the ground, the clone also enjoying what he saw and losing balance. He sighed and made two more clones, sending them to get the unconscious son of Hephaestus.

There was a rustling in the brush and Naruto narrowed his eyes, grabbing his staff and pulling it out of the ground. He separated his staff and prepared to move forward. Through the brush came Nyssa along with a few sons of Ares. Naruto didn't know their names, so he decided on calling them Big Idiot Number One and Big Idiot Number Two.

"Come out, Naruto, we caught a member of your team and she told us everything," Nyssa said. "We know you're the only one watching the flag."

Naruto jumped up into the trees and with practiced precision threw his voice. "Then why would I come out and face you, Nyssa?"

An arrow flew from the woods at a tree opposite of him. Naruto jumped to a different tree, throwing his voice again. "Lying to me already? You know, that's not very good for a relationship."

"I never said how many of us there are," Nyssa said. "Just come out and be our prisoner."

"Screw this, I'm going for the flag." Big Idiot Number Two ran forward and reached for the flag. Naruto threw one of his staves, braining the son of Ares and knocking him out. He moved to another tree and as expected an arrow shot from the wood at his suspected spot. He had to pinpoint the archer.

"One down." Naruto looked down, grinning at his perturbed girlfriend.

"Come on, I'll make it worth your while if you surrender," Nyssa said.

"I offer you the same courtesy!"

"What do I get if I surrender?" Nyssa asked, looking curious.

"What do you want?"

"A lap dance."

Naruto almost lost his footing.

_"I wonder if she knows you're not the best at that, considering what happened at the Cherry Bomb."_

"Shut up," Naruto said under his breath. He cleared his throat and threw his voice to echo in the small clearing. "Anything other than a lap dance?"

"We've only been dating for two weeks, there's not much I can ask for at this point," Nyssa said.

_"Oh, she's playing hard ball."_

"How about I give you a massage?" Naruto asked. "I'm pretty good at those."

"That's a pretty good deal," said a new female voice. Naruto looked down to his left spotting a mop of blonde hair similar to his own. In the girl's hands was a bow and on her back a quiver. She was turning to take aim at the trees. "Take the damn deal, Nyssa so I can shoot you when this is all over. Seriously, Naruto's the camp's new Adonis and she scoops him up...So unfair."

"Bingo," Naruto said to himself. He dropped from the tree behind the girl and brought his stave down across the back of her head, catching her as she slumped forward unconscious.

"Gonna have to do better than that, Naruto!" Nyssa looked around the clearing. "What's wrong, not good at lap dances? I can teach you."

_"Now _that_ is something I would like to see,"_ Kurama said.

"Shut it," Naruto said. He jumped up into the tree with the bow and an arrow ready. He drew it back and aimed at Big Idiot Number One. "Tempting, but I can only assume that will require me to do something else."

"A strip dance," Nyssa said.

Naruto almost fell out of the tree again.

_"Bold."_

"Stop talking," Naruto said.

"Enough of this." Big Idiot Number One growled and stepped forward. "Why don't you show yourself, coward? You afraid to fight us?"

"Not really. I just don't feel like it." Naruto drew the string back.

"Face me!"

"Alright, look up here." Naruto stopped throwing his voice, letting the two find him. He shot the arrow, and Ares' son jumped back so that the arrow landed between his feet.

"Ha! Missed!"

"Check again," Naruto said. The tag he had tied to the arrow burst into fire and hissed before exploding, sending Big Idiot Number One flying back into the brush. Naruto made several clones and sent them out to restrain the lug. He dropped down and stood opposite of Nyssa. "So...Surrender?"

"Not happening," Nyssa said, smirking. "You'd need to give me a reason to."

"How about a kiss?"

Nyssa's smirk grew into a grin. "Tempting. How's about we make out?"

"Now?"

"Do you want me to surrender or not?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes before he made a few clones that vanished in an instant.

"Isn't that against the rules?" Nyssa asked.

"Rules say no more than two guards. I'm one guard and they're all me, in essence," Naruto said. He approached her with a small smile on his face and cupped one side of her face. "Surrender?"

"Fulfill your part of the bargain first." Nyssa slipped her arms around his neck.

"Deal." Naruto closed the gap between them and he pressed his lips to hers. They meshed almost perfectly. Her arms tightened around his neck and he moved his hands to her hips. Something pressed against his lips, probing for entry. Naruto allowed Nyssa's tongue in, wrestling against it as it tried to reach all parts of his mouth.

After two minutes passed, Naruto broke it apart and Nyssa whined. He gave her a small peck and chuckled. "I believe you owe me something."

"Yeah, fine. I surrender," Nyssa said. She leaned against him with a grin. "Take me to jail."

Naruto led Nyssa to the jail, the daughter of Hephaestus blinking at seeing her cabin head sitting there. Leo looked up and groaned. "Aw man, you were captured, too?"

Nyssa smirked and, as she walked passed him, slapped Naruto on the ass. Naruto muffled a yelp while his face turned bright red. He glared at his smirking girlfriend while she spoke to Leo. "Yes. I was captured...rather thoroughly, at that."

"Gross," Leo said, scowling. He sighed. "At least I got to see what Elysium looks like."

"What do you mean?" Nyssa asked. Leo remained silent and glared at her boyfriend while Naruto chuckled. Nyssa looked back and forth between them before shaking her head. "I'm better off not knowing."

The horn blew and echoed throughout the woods. Leo hung his head in defeat while other captured prisoners grumbled. Naruto led them back, walking into the woods and stopping at the creek, where Chiron gestured to Annabeth.

Annabeth had a cut on her cheek, her hair was a mess, but there was a smirk on her face as she stared at Clarisse, who scowled from where she was in the center of the creek, drenched and slightly covered in mud. In Annabeth's right hand was her personal dagger while in her left was a blood red flag that had Ares' symbolic boar and axe engraved on it in gold.

"The game is at an end! The winner and still reigning champion of inter-camp Capture The Flag matches, the Blue Team!" Chiron said.

Naruto wobbled when all of his clones dispelled, shaking his head from the information dump while his team cheered.

* * *

The spirits were high in camp after the capture the flag game. Naruto found himself at the Athena cabin the day after, studying up since Nyssa was occupied with repairing armor and weapons. He was flipping through the Intermediate Greek with a bored look on his face. Studying was never his strong suit, he was always too energetic to sit in one place, and it wasn't like meditation, so he couldn't even compare it to that.

Sighing, Naruto went to the partially translated journal concerning his father's life that Annabeth was helping him with. Out of habit, he started at the last page before realizing his mistake. Feeling too lazy to flip the book over and search for the last place he was at, Naruto decided instead to work from the end of the book, flipping back a few pages before one passage caught his eye. It was an italicized subscript, overlooked by the Greek translation next to it, but Naruto knew the characters that his aunt did not, reading them to himself. It was a seal.

Naruto pumped chakra into the seal and out popped a letter that he quickly unfolded, reading the characters with ease.

_To Athena_

_First of all, thank you for claiming me upon my death. It is good to know who my mother is, though I wish I could've known sooner. It would've explained why I never saw the Shinigami as he was depicted in the texts of the Uzumaki scrolls or why I had issues reading at first. And the whole Underworld thing...Yeah, I'll refrain from further comment._

_Secondly, I would be glad to recall the last day of my life, though I prefer to remember it as the day my son was born._

_(PS: If you haven't already guessed, you're a grandmother.)_

_My wife, Kushina Uzumaki – who I still haven't seen down here for some reason – had just given birth to Naruto. Her seal containing the Nine Tailed Fox was weak and was slowly breaking. I had just handed Naruto over to Lord Third's wife Biwako and was getting ready to fix Kushina's seal. Two screams cut me off and I turned to see my son, so small and bundled in a blanket, in the arms of a masked man._

_Naruto was crying, no doubt scared out of his mind from the chakra the man gave off. The Masked Man told me to step away from Kushina or else he would kill Naruto "within the first minute of his life." I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, but at the same time was trying to discern how the hell this man got passed the barrier._

_Then, Kushina's seal strained visibly, it spread up her face. I remember looking back at her and then to the Masked Man when he repeated his threat. He pulled a kunai, a small throwing knife, out and held it to Naruto's face. He was calm, I was not._

_Never before had I wanted to rip a man apart so badly._

_Before I could think of any possible win strategy, he tossed Naruto up into the air and lunged at me. Kushina called Naruto's name, her terrified voice was heavy with anger and exhaustion, most likely angry at being unable to do anything. I utilized my Hiraishin no Jutsu to evade it and catch Naruto. His cries ripped my heart apart. The blanket wrapped around Naruto started to hiss and smoke. I discarded it and left the small cabin we had hidden ourselves in, just barely making it out before the explosion that destroyed the cabin._

_I landed with a wince, cradling my still crying son who was thankfully unharmed. I pulled a piece of wood out of my shin and then used Hiraishin again to get Naruto to safety within the village. I laid him on our bed, carefully bundling him beneath the covers, and regrettably left him to save Kushina. I got to her just before the Nine-Tails could crush her under his hand._

"_I'd do it again, even without the mind control. Kushina was a bitch to me."_

"Shut up, Kurama," Naruto said. He was horrified at what Obito had done thanks to Madara's meddling.

_Kushina, bless her, was shivering and weak, concerned only for Naruto and the village. Despite her wishes for me to stop the man that had taken control of the Nine-Tails, I took her to him, laying her on the bed next to our now sleeping son. She cradled Naruto and I watched them, filling with determination. I knew then that I might die that night, but so long as they lived, it would be worth it. I donned my cloak, a gift from the summoning toad sages, and left my family to stop the coming beast._

_When I appeared, I was too late. The Nine-Tails was summoned and had already begun wreaking havoc on the village. He noticed me as I appeared atop my head on the Hokage Monument, which was always a surreal experience now that I think about it, and began powering up the land destroying Bijudama, the inspiration for my Rasengan technique. I stopped it with my Jikūkan Kekkai, a Space-Time Fuinjutsu barrier that allows me to redirect a chakra based attack. I transported the Bijudama three miles beyond the village, and still made a large dome that could be seen and felt for miles._

_Before I could counterattack, I sensed a presence behind me and turned to stab my would-be attacker in the head. My hand, shockingly enough, went through the Masked Man's head like it wasn't there. I believe it's a similar Space-Time technique, only it displaces his body, leaving a realistic afterimage behind. The Masked Man then tried to, as crazy as it sounds, absorb me inside of him. I escaped with the Hiraishin, but it wasn't for long. The Masked Man followed me with his own variation of a transportation technique._

_I at first came to the conclusion that this was the first real threat to Konoha, Madara Uchiha. Rival to the original God of Shinobi, the Shodai Hokage, Hashirama Senju. If that were the case, he would have had to be over one hundred and fifty years old. Not even the Uzumaki lived that long according to my knowledge._

_He taunted me with his identity until I told him I didn't care who he was. I asked him why he decided to attack Konoha, my home. He didn't give me a direct answer, but I believe this was planned, to what end, I don't know. All I knew at the time was that he was dangerous and that I had to be on my guard. I couldn't flee, he would cause too much chaos if I went after the real threat, the Nine-Tails._

_The Masked Man attached a long chain to cuffs on his wrists. He lunged at me, empty handed, and I lunged at him with my Hiraishin kunai in hand. Once more I went through him, but he tightened the chain around me once I passed. It was strange, powerful how he could be there and at the same time not be. Or maybe, the chain was there all the time while he was not. Ah, I digress._

_Realizing that physical attacks were pointless, I devised a plan to feint out his attack, the only time he was solid. It was all about being faster than him._

"Go Dad..." Naruto said under his breath. He might've gotten through to the heartbroken Obito in the end, but this was still his father's fight. He had to play for the home team first and foremost.

_We charged at each other again and I threw my kunai at his head. As suspected it started to go through. The Masked Man reached out to grab me and I knew that once my kunai finished passing through his head, he would be vulnerable. I made the Rasengan in my right hand and felt out my kunai._

_I waited for a full connection and as soon as I had it, I used the Hiraishin. I reappeared above the Masked Man's back and drove the Rasengan down. He broke the ground with his impact, leaving the area in a mess. I planted a Hiraishin seal on his back. He jumped out of the rubble and praised me. I gave him no more time and used the seal I planted on him to appear directly in front of him. I pressed my hand against his chest and placed a contract seal on him, breaking the connection between him and the Nine-Tails._

_The Masked Man fled after I did this, telling me he planned on world domination._

_I don't know if that is his true goal or if he simply means to dominate our continent, but I warn you Athena, do not take our people lightly._

_Even gods can fall at the hands of men._

Naruto stopped reading there as the door opened and Annabeth came in. He folded the note up and hid it in his jacket. Normally he would share this information with Annabeth, but this seemed really personal. And call Naruto selfish, but he didn't have a lot to remember his father by. He was going to keep this letter, even if it wasn't meant for him. Who knows, maybe Athena left it for him to find.

"Naruto, good you're here," Annabeth said. She looked around, frowning. "Where are your clones?"

"I didn't feel like making them today," Naruto said. The note burned a hole in his jacket, keeping him aware that it was still there, waiting to be read.

"Well, I guess that's for the best. We need to talk," Annabeth said. She pulled the chair next to Naruto out and took a seat next to him.

"About what?"

"Jason." Annabeth frowned.

Naruto arched a brow. "What about Jason?"

"He's _Roman_."

"...And your point is...?" Naruto didn't see what the big deal in that was. So he was Roman, big deal. That just meant there were more demigods to meet, more friends to be made.

"Naruto, Romans are dangerous," Annabeth said. "They were the enemies of Greece for a long time and eventually attacked it, claiming Greece as part of their Empire."

"Yeah I know that, but the Romans also took in Greece culture and helped the conquered people regain their dignity," Naruto said. He liked that part of history the most, where the people were treated fairly.

"Naruto, during the war against Greece, they went against Athena first." Naruto frowned and Annabeth continued. "They took Athena's statue from Athens."

"...They took the _Athena Parthenos_?" Naruto blinked in surprise. "Wow...I...I don't know what that means."

Annabeth sighed. "Naruto, by taking her statue, the Romans greatly weakened Athena. It dishonored her as a war goddess. It was also a way of disrespecting the Greeks, adding insult to injury."

Naruto frowned. "If that's the case, why didn't the Greeks try to take it back?"

"I'm sure they did, but over the years, the statue was lost. Children of Athena know this by heart and don't dare trust Romans because of what they did."

"That's it?" Naruto asked. "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

Annabeth frowned and spoke softly, but her voice had an edge to it. "Naruto, you have to understand, we have our mom's pride. How do you think she felt when it was taken? They reduced her to nothing but a goddess of crafts and a strategist who focused on retreating. Think about that for a minute."

"I can see where that would suck," Naruto said. "But I'm not going to hate someone because of something that happened centuries ago."

"But he's-"

"So what?!" Naruto frowned at her. "Annabeth, you may have Athena's pride, but right now you don't have her head. And neither does she."

"Naruto, you shouldn't say that!"

"Then you should use your head and think about _who_ you're talking to."

"What do you mean?" Annabeth asked. It hit her a second later. "Oh."

"Yeah." Naruto frowned. "Annabeth, what I went through...I would _never_ do that to someone else. It's not fair and it's not right. Jason isn't the one responsible for stealing Athena's statue."

"You have to admit he's too perfect, though." Annabeth frowned. "It's creepy."

"...And now it's about Percy." Naruto rubbed his head with a sigh. "I should've known."

"Hera switched them just to spite me," Annabeth said. "All because I insulted her a few years back."

Naruto shook his head. "I don't think it's as simple as that."

"No, it's the icing on her cake." Annabeth's shoulder slumped and her eyes casted down. "It hurts, Naruto. It hurts knowing he's out there and, knowing him, in trouble and that I'm here doing _nothing_."

"Anna-oba." Naruto had her looking back up at him and he gave her a small reassuring smile. "He's strong, if any of the stories I heard about him are true."

"He's an idiot," Annabeth said, frowning.

"So am I. And the good thing about us idiots? We're _very_ durable." Naruto grinned.

"Not with an Achilles Heel, you aren't," Annabeth said.

"I don't know what that is," Naruto said, frowning. He shrugged. "Whatever, I'm sure he's fine."

Annabeth chewed on her bottom lip, probably still worrying about Percy. Her eyes went to the table and she noticed the journal, making Naruto swallow. She grabbed the book and flipped through it. "You were on 'Advancement to Jonin'."

"Oh, right," Naruto said. He let out a small breath he didn't know he was holding. Annabeth began helping him translate and Naruto nodded along to her instructions. He could still feel the tension, though. It felt as if Athena herself was disapproving of his words. Oh well, she'd have to get over it. Naruto didn't discriminate, not after the childhood he had.

* * *

**AN: After recent work...With the End of Naruto (SOB)...I realize this installment has but two more chapters...**

**REVIEW!**


	15. Chimera & Oracle

**AN: Co-Written by Engineer4Ever**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Percy Jackson.**

**Fils de l'Amour: The Lost Hero**

**Chapter 15: Chimera and Oracle**

* * *

Two months had passed since Naruto found the letter in his father's journal. He still hadn't read the rest of it, not finding the right time to do so. That or whenever he began to, something would interrupt him. So he decided to wait until he was sure he wouldn't be doing anything else or bothered and hid it in a seal he painted onto his wrist.

Over those two months, his relationship with Nyssa had gone further than he expected. Within the third week she had initiated second base during a make out session, and a month after that they got pretty hot and heavy in third base. That night was definitely going to be a night Naruto would never forget. The fact they did that in the forges...Naruto felt lucky he wasn't scalded by something.

"Hey, are you listening to me or are you off in la-la land again?" Nyssa asked. Naruto blinked and chuckled sheepishly.

"Sorry Nyssa," he said. He scratched the back of his neck. "I was thinking about the time in the forges..."

"Looking for a repeat?" Nyssa asked, a sly smirk on her face.

Naruto flushed and looked around the small fast food joint, hoping no one heard them. Nyssa had gotten Chiron's approval to go into the city for the weekend for a few campers, including themselves. The hotel rooms that had been booked were originally supposed to be coed, girls on one side of floor and boys on the other, but Nyssa, being the clever minx she was, slipped several couples under Chiron's nose.

So here they were, on a makeshift date-day eating lunch at a chain called McDonalds. Naruto nearly punched out the statue of Ronald McDonald when it greeted him, still not used to the urban atmosphere. Nyssa stopped him from earning more stares than he already had.

Apparently it wasn't every day that a seemingly American boy with strange marks on his face suddenly burst into Japanese after Ronald McDonald said "Hi! Welcome to McDonalds!"

"Nyssa, I'm pretty sure that if your dad doesn't smelt me, Leo will," Naruto said under his breath.

"Him? The short stuff is focusing on his boat far too much to pay any attention to what goes on at camp," Nyssa said. She rolled her eyes. "Same with that Roman guy, and your sister. Both of them have blinders on if the other is within viewing distance."

"That, I've noticed," Naruto said, chuckling. Piper and Jason were dancing around each other like they were standing on a floor made of glass. Naruto grabbed one of his French fries and put it in his mouth. "You'd think they'd just kiss already."

"Maybe they already have," Nyssa said. "Maybe they're keeping it quiet so someone's big brother doesn't kill the new boyfriend."

"I wouldn't kill him." Naruto took a sip of his drink. "Bruise him up a bit, maybe. But I wouldn't kill him."

"Athena's cabin would be ashamed of you," Nyssa said.

Naruto rolled his eyes. His relationship with his aunts and uncles wasn't exactly the greatest right now. Since he told Annabeth that he wouldn't have any part of isolating Jason or outright shunning him Malcolm, Gregory, and Alexandra had approached him with similar concerns and explanations. He was glad his fatal flaw wasn't hubris, it was getting extremely annoying to deal with their 'infallible' reasoning. Infallible up until Naruto mentioned that he was treated like a leper by most of his home village, an average of around five hundred thousand people save _maybe_ thirty, until he was fifteen.

That certainly left them speechless and flustered.

Naruto brushed those thoughts aside and grabbed one of Nyssa's nuggets. She glared at him as he popped it in his mouth and took his drink in retaliation. Naruto chuckled around the nugget and swallowed. "So what do you want to do next?"

"Well...there's the Empire State Building. We could always go check it out even if we can't visit the top floor." Nyssa was referring to Olympus of course. She frowned and ate a fry. "Why is the top floor closed? That's literally the coolest thing to do in New York."

"The, uh, boss closed it because he was afraid of history repeating itself, whatever that means," Naruto said. He hummed and thought on it. "But what could happen that he's so afraid of?"

Nyssa chewed on another fry. "I wish I didn't average out in history. Maybe I should pay more attention...but then I couldn't focus on the forge..."

"History is the one thing I actually enjoy," Naruto said. He ate the rest of his cheeseburger, an interesting meal, and balled up the wrapper. "We could look into it? Do some research..."

"Study date? Very tempting," Nyssa said, smiling at him as she took his drink again.

"Is there a place we could do that?" Naruto asked.

"The public library," Nyssa said. She grinned coyly. "Fair warning, I might get distracted."

Naruto shook his head in amusement. "As long as you can control yourself."

"I promise nothing."

* * *

The New York Public Library was _huge_. Far larger than Konoha's library, at least double if not triple the size. Then again, most ninja don't like keeping all their information in one place. Tends to end badly in the case of espionage. Naruto followed Nyssa to the Ancient Greek section. Their dyslexia made it a bit difficult, but eventually the two had found a large collection of Greek "mythology" that looked old enough to come from Ancient Greece itself.

Naruto opened the book and began going down the index. "'Beginning' ... 'Titanomachy' ... 'Typhon' ... 'Gigantomachy?'"

"Sounds like something to look into," Nyssa said. She turned to the page and read the first line. "'The Gigantomachy was the war between the Gigantes, a new breed of giants, and the Olympians. The Gigantes were debated to be either the children of Gaea and Tartarus, or born from the blood spilled by Ouranos when his son Kronos sliced him into pieces.'"

"And all I did to my dad when I met him was punch him in the gut," Naruto said.

"Do you think this could be what Ze-er, the big guy upstairs meant?" Nyssa asked. "History repeats itself...You fought a giant, right?"

"And it couldn't be defeated without Athena's help," Naruto said. He pointed to an excerpt he found. "'It was with Heracles' arrow and Athena's spear that Enceladus fell.'"

"So demigods and gods have to work together to kill them," Nyssa said. "But with Olympus closed..."

"We can't get help." Naruto felt a chill go up his spine as he said it. There was a shuffling of books and Naruto looked around. His nerves were on full alert with this discovery.

"What is it?" Nyssa asked.

"I don't think we're alone anymore." Naruto quickly turned to look at the upper level of the library, seeing a shadow move. "Correction: I know we're not alone anymore."

Among the murmuring of the other seekers of knowledge or entertainment, there was a low growl. It was deep and had the hairs on his neck standing on edge.

"Tell me you brought your laser pointer," Nyssa said.

Naruto checked his pockets and swore. "It's back at the hotel. Where's yours?"

"I don't have a specific one," Nyssa said. "Daughter of the smith. I'm pretty good with everything. Just not on par with the warmongers."

"What did you bring?"

"A sledgehammer," Nyssa said. Naruto gave her an incredulous look and she shrugged. "It gets the job done."

"Well great," Naruto said. He put his hand over his stomach. "I've got a backup plan, but I need some time to build up."

"I swear, sometimes its like you're from a manga or something," Nyssa said.

"Manga are awesome," Naruto said. "Like Dragonball Z, that's the coolest thing I've _ever_ read."

"...It's the orange isn't it?"

"Damn right it's the orange!" His cheer had the whole library looking at them and he laughed sheepishly. "Sorry."

Something lunged at them as soon as everyone turned around. Nyssa managed to pull Naruto out of the way as their table was crushed. Naruto stared at it in shock. It had the upper body of a lion, a snake for a tail, and goat-like hooves for a rear end. The mane was blood red and its eyes were blacker than night.

"Chimera!" Nyssa dragged Naruto with her as they started to run for the exit. A blast of fire followed after them. People started screaming and joined them as they fled when something set tables on fire.

The Chimera focused on them alone, rearing his head back and building up a ball of fire in his mouth. It shot out and winged Nyssa. She stumbled, falling forward with a cry. Naruto scooped her up into his arms and jumped forward, clearing the distance between where they were and the front door. He set her down and grabbed a security guard that was shakily waving his gun around. Why he had a gun, Naruto didn't know, but right now he didn't care.

"Hey! She's burned and needs medical attention, get her out," Naruto said. The guard stared at him for a moment. Naruto rolled his eyes and glared. "Get her out of here _now_!"

"R-Right, yes sir," the guard said. He helped Nyssa up despite her protests. Naruto ushered the rest of the people out before shutting the giant door behind him. He grabbed one of those metal poles that had a red chain and jammed it into the door handles. He turned and looked around warily. The Chimera had seemingly vanished.

"Where did you go?" Naruto asked. He advanced slowly through the library, stepped over charred books and walked past tables that were still aflame. "Here Chimera, Chimera. Whose a good monster?"

"_You sound absolutely ridiculous,"_ Kurama said.

"Shut up, I never asked you for an opinion."

"_Well you're getting one."_

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Thanks."

"_You do realize that your little girlfriend has a minor resistance to fire and you possibly just pissed her off by sending her away, right?"_

"Since when are you a love guru?"

"_Don't change the subject."_

"Yeah, I know. But if I have to use something like the Rasenshuriken, I don't want her in the crossfire."

"_I figured. But will she care?"_

"Probably not..."

"_Four o'clock."_

Naruto turned and jumped back as a blanket of fire spewed out of the Chimera's mouth. The poor table that was behind him with a few new releases on it was not as lucky, being burnt to ashes from the intensity of the Chimera's fire. The Chimera roared angrily and charged forward. Naruto caught the monster by the horns and tried to stop it by using chakra as an anchor. It didn't work and his feet shattered the tile as it pushed him back.

"_Stop pussyfooting around and get serious. Snap this thing's neck,"_ Kurama said.

"Not helping!" Naruto grit his teeth and started pushing back. The Chimera growled and its tail flew up, the snake's mouth opening with a hiss and revealing two dangerously large fangs. Naruto's eyes went wide. "Kurama!"

"_On it."_

His body was surrounded with red chakra and a bubbly acidic chakra limb shot out to intercept the snake, catching it in a claw-like hand.

"_Initial mode version one. It's back and better than before!"_

"I don't think I'll need to go more than one tail," Naruto said. He began pushing the Chimera back as the chakra took form around him to look like a rabbit-eared fox's shadow. The large tail behind him bubbled and hissed. It shot out and wrapped around the Chimera's midsection tightly.

The monster growled again and the snake's head shot two clear globs of poison from its fangs. The poison hit Naruto's chakra cloak and fizzled away into nothing. The hand wrapped around the Chimera's tail spread and encased it before it started to pull.

"_Hold it still,"_ Kurama said. Naruto nodded and planted himself firmly in the ground. He watched as the chakra cloak, under Kurama's will, tugged and started to rip the tail off of the Chimera. Kurama growled in annoyance. _"Give me your tail!"_

The tail gave out and the Chimera let out a roar of agony, it tried to skewer Naruto with its horns. Naruto growled back at it and lifted the Chimera's head up before he slammed it down into the ground. His red eyes glared into the black orbs and he snarled. "Don't attack my girlfriend!"

Naruto pulled and off came both of the Chimera's horns, leaving the beast to roar once more as it writhed on the ground. Not finished, Naruto drove both horns into the Chimera's hide, stabbing its lung and its heart. The Chimera slowly fell apart into golden dust and Naruto smirked. Naruto turned and began to walk away, his cloak cutting out as he did.

"_Wait. Something isn't right."_

"Monster's dead, I'm in one piece, the library is still standing and I've probably got an angry girlfriend to deal with," Naruto said. "What could be wrong?"

"_Don't monsters leave trophies?"_

Naruto opened his mouth to counter that question, but clicked it shut. He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Dammit...I don't like that."

"_What? Monsters leaving trophies? Why not? 'To the victor goes the spoils' and all that shit."_

Naruto turned around and the spot where he killed the Chimera was vacant of a hybrid monster. He glared at the spot with a groan. The red chakra poured back out and Naruto's eyes turned red once more. He jumped up and clung to the ceiling to avoid a strike from the snake's head.

"_So...maybe we should go full out..."_

"And destroy this building? I'm already on bad terms with Cabin Six. Let's not make it worse than it already is," Naruto said as he glared at the circling monster.

"_Might not have a choice. Look at those books burn."_

"I'm trying not to," Naruto said. He crawled along the ceiling before dropping down opposite of the Chimera, landing like a quadruped. "Give me another tail."

Kurama's chakra doubled and Naruto growled; the potency of the Biju's chakra started bring out into his instincts as a second tail bubbled into place. He felt his canines lengthen slightly and knew instinctively – thanks to his mother's influence – that around his eyes and mouth, a thin black line appeared. His whiskers had thickened even more and his hair had gone wild.

The Chimera roared and Naruto roared back, only his roar broke the windows. The Chimera shuddered and took a wary step back.

"_Yeah, damn right you step back, bitch!"_ Kurama jeered, flaring his killing intent through Naruto.

"Ease off," Naruto said. He didn't want the people outside within in a three-mile radius to have heart attacks. Naruto narrowed his eyes and got to his feet, still hunched over, and brought his hand back. "We need to end this without accidentally killing someone."

"_Fine."_

The Chimera opened its mouth and out came another wave of fire. Naruto scowled, his tail shot out from behind him and wrapped around the Chimera's mouth. His left hand's palm turned up to face the sky. A vibrant red orb began to grow in Naruto's palm, expanding and turning purple.

"Let's end this," Naruto said. The tail pulled the Chimera towards him and Naruto brought his hand back before he threw it forward. Naruto drilled his hand through the monster's mouth, shredding it down the middle. His eyes gleamed.

"Rasengan!"

The Chimera's two halves dissolved into dust.

"_Now!"_

Naruto brought his hands up and the chakra arms shot to the roof. He brought them down and the Chimera's golden dust scattered out of the library. Naruto cut the power and fell to his knees, his arms wrapping around his stomach.

"_That would've gone faster if you had gone with the incomplete nine-tailed form."_

"I would've knocked out more people and caused mass hysteria..." Naruto said with a groan as he felt the cells around his stomach replicate. "Besides...not like I...needed..."

Naruto fell forward, and caught himself on his hands. "Whoa, talk about disoriented."

The doors banged open and several men in black uniforms with yellow horizontal stripes burst into the room. A man came over to him while his group spread through the library. "NYFD, are you okay?"

"Fine...I just need to get outside," Naruto said.

The fireman nodded and helped him to his feet, partially carrying him outside to a medic, who took him over to an ambulance.

"Stop, I'm fine. Hey, I said I'm fine!" Naruto glared at the medic that approached him with a needle. "Touch me with that thing and I will jam it where the sun doesn't shine."

"Sir, we just need to take a blood sample."

"Over my dead body," Naruto said, yanking his arm away. "Look, other people may need your help. I'm fine. Go help them."

The paramedics looked at each other before they walked off without another word. Naruto shook his head and got to his feet. He walked around until he saw a familiar red headband and smiled when his blue eyes met Nyssa's warm brown.

"You ass!" Nyssa said as she embraced him with a hug that he returned. She pulled away and glared at him.

Naruto winced. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

"A lot of trouble," Nyssa said. She frowned. "You do know I have a resistance to fire, right?"

"...I was trying to keep you safe?"

"Chivalry is so annoying." Nyssa glared at him again. "I can fight, you moron."

"I know," Naruto said. He grunted and held his stomach. He rubbed it soothingly. "I did something stupid though and I didn't want you to get hurt."

"Earth to Naruto, I'm a craftswoman. I get hurt, it's part of the gig," Nyssa said.

Naruto winced again. "Sorry?"

Nyssa huffed. "You're lucky you're cute. So what did you get for killing the Chimera?"

"I didn't kill it," Naruto said. "I mean, I did, but it...I don't know, came back to life."

"That's...That's impossible, Naruto," Nyssa said. "Monsters die for a while, longer than within a day."

Naruto frowned. "Something is up. We need another book. Maybe there's something that happened that kept people and monsters from dying."

"We'll find one back at camp." Nyssa grinned at him. "But before we do that, we have a hotel room that's still ours for one more night."

Naruto blinked. "Wait...after a monster attacked you want to...?"

"While I don't _like_ that you kicked me out to fight a monster on your own, it's very sweet and I think that deserves a reward," Nyssa said. She lightly pecked his lips. "Plus, I want compensation for not getting a good monster fight."

* * *

They returned to camp the following day. Nyssa had a glow about her that the other girls constantly commented on and the smile on her face wouldn't go away. Naruto, on the other hand, constantly got flustered when the other guys asked him for some tips. He swore he didn't have any advice and didn't know what they were talking about, but they just kept pestering him.

What was the worst part about their return to camp?

The gossip spread like wildfire.

Piper was not happy.

"I can't believe you...Ugh! Naruto, you have to slow down! It's only been three months! You can't just...Not after three months!" Something about it felt wrong to Piper. Sure, she occasionally felt excited at moments with Jason, but with a lot of self-control, Piper managed to keep her hormones at bay. She expected Naruto, who was _older_ than her, to be more than adept at the practice. Apparently she was wrong.

"Nyssa started it!" Naruto glared at his siblings who dare snicker at him while he got chewed out.

"Oh, trust me, I'll get to her next," Piper said. Taking advantage of her simple-minded pure-hearted brother? Oh yes, Piper will be having words with Nyssa. For now, however, she would deal with her brother. "You'll be cleaning the cabin _without_ clones or I _will_ make sure that the meals exclude ramen."

"You coldhearted bitch, you wouldn't dare!"

"Try me."

* * *

Then there was Leo.

"On one hand, as your bro, I have to praise you and compliment you on a job well done." Leo smiled, but it was mischievous and sinister all at once. "However on the other hand, it was _my sister_ you did it with, therefore you must be punished."

"Wh-what?" Naruto started to back away nervously.

"I guess I'll settle for the surprised look on your face if you can't accept your fate." Leo pointed his fingers at Naruto's legs. Naruto's pants caught on fire. Chaos ensued. Pants were burned. Vengeance was delivered.

All was well with Leo and the rest of Hephaestus' cabin...Until they realized the fire burnt his underwear, too.

Naruto's lower extremities were revealed to the camp, try as he might to conceal them.

A girl from Demeter's cabin covered her younger sister's eyes and glared at Nyssa. "You lucky bitch."

Nyssa just smirked smugly at the other glaring girls.

* * *

Annabeth and the rest of Cabin Six were still not talking to him and Leo's punishment did little to improve relations between them, so whatever their opinion on his romantic life was it was still a mystery to him.

Surprisingly, the only one it seemed that was on his side was Jason.

* * *

"It's natural, I don't see why it's a big deal." Jason grabbed Naruto's wrist and twisted it. He attempted to flip Naruto onto his back but Naruto caught himself, he landed on his feet and reversed the grip.

"You are really cool about this." Naruto jerked Jason's arm up behind him and wrapped his other arm around Jason's neck. "Yield!"

"Not happening." Jason pushed off the ground and landed behind Naruto. His arms slipped under Naruto's and Jason's hands interlaced behind Naruto's head. "You yield."

"No," Naruto said, trying half-heartedly to break out of the hold. It was a mock fight; neither of them was going all out. He slipped his foot behind Jason's and flipped the son of Jupiter onto his back. Jason rolled out of the way as Naruto brought his knee down where Jason's head would've been. Naruto avoided a haymaker punch and caught a left hook. "But, why are you so cool about this?"

Jason caught Naruto's left straight and shrugged. "I took health seminars in New Rome seriously. Did you do the thing where your leg goes behind your head?"

"There's a position like that?" Naruto was genuinely interested in this subject, and surprisingly not because it involved sex. He thought the flexibility would be beneficial in a fight.

Jason proceeded to give his first sex talk, all while he fought Naruto, both topless and covered in sweat. The blond duo was completely unaware that they drew attention to themselves of the female variety.

* * *

Chiron felt that the situation resolved itself and let Piper deal her punishment out. So imagine Naruto's surprise when he was called to the Big House for something very important. He arrived at the front door and was met with an energetic greeting from the camp's oracle.

"Hey Handsome! How's it hanging?" Rachel asked with a knowing grin.

Naruto turned red and looked away. "Um, Chiron called for me?"

"Chiron had to go check on a son of Apollo that got shot in the leg by one of your sisters," Rachel said. She stood to the side and gestured for him to enter. "Come on, Handsome, I don't bite."

"_From what you've told me about this one, I wouldn't be surprised if she did,"_ Kurama said.

Naruto ignored him and walked in. He sat down on the couch and Rachel took a seat next to him. The room was covered in drawings and sketches that did little to inspire hope, but they were nicely detailed all the same. Naruto felt relieved there was a seat between them. "So...Any idea what Chiron wanted to talk about?"

Rachel's smile dimmed down into a frown. She moved pictures and papers out of the way before a book was revealed on the table. It was the same book as the one Naruto and Nyssa found in the New York Public Library. Rachel opened the book to a page entitled 'Sisyphus.'

"We think that this might have something to do with why monsters aren't dying," Rachel said. Naruto leaned in, his fingers interlaced together as he read along silently with her. "'Sisyphus' next plan to escape death and judgment in Hades' realm centered on successfully kidnapping the God of Death, Thanatos. Sisyphus gagged and bound Thanatos and stuffed him under the bed. For the next few days, no mortal died. It was not until Ares rescued Thanatos and brought Sisyphus back to the underworld, along with the other souls who were wrongfully still walking the earth, that people started to die again.'"

Naruto frowned. "Do you think that's what it is? Someone kidnapped Thanatos?"

"Something's definitely wrong and if it is that, he's the god we need to find," Rachel said. She sighed and sat back. "However, with Olympus locked up, we can't really do anything. I haven't had a clear vision in weeks, not since that prophecy to save Hera." Naruto looked around the room and she waved the pictures off. "Those are just glimpses I get. I'm going to sell a few for some money for local schools' arts programs."

"Cool," Naruto said. He always wished he could draw better than he did. He wasn't too bad at writing, but that praise came from Jiraiya after he finished a chapter of _Icha Icha Island_, so he was a bit iffy on it. That and until he started to train as a sage, Naruto always had difficulty sitting down in one place for a long period of time. "What sort of things do you like to draw?"

"Whatever comes to mind," Rachel said. She glanced at him. "So, I hope this isn't too manipulative, but I was wondering if you could help me out with something."

"I'd be happy to help," Naruto said with a smile. "What's up?"

"Well I've got a charity event coming up tonight and I need something that draws attention," Rachel said.

"I'm not the best artist," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head. "I'm flattered you'd ask but I don't think anyone would bid on my stick figures."

"It's not artwork we're using to draw attention," Rachel said. She smiled slightly and for some reason, Naruto was sure he just dug himself a grave.

* * *

"Are you sure I need to be in my shorts?" Naruto asked as he followed Rachel to Cabin Seven. She had sent him to get changed into running shorts and a muscle shirt, which he did despite the light chill in the air. Naruto then met her back at the big house and she said they would be going to the Apollo cabin to get ready.

"Naruto, by the end of this you probably won't even need your shorts." Rachel giggled secretively.

"Should I have brought other pants?"

"Don't worry about it. We'll have something for you to wear," Rachel said.

"Naruto!" The both of them stopped and turned to face Nyssa as she approached with a frown on her face. She came to a stop in front of them and crossed her arms in over her chest. "What's going on?"

"Rachel wants some help with a charity event and I volunteered," Naruto said. "She was just taking me to Cabin Seven to finish getting ready."

Nyssa glared at Rachel. "And you didn't ask me first because...?"

"...Slipped my mind?" Rachel said. Nyssa's eyes narrowed and Rachel groaned. "Come on, I'm not going to do anything to him. Will is going to be the one to cover him in bronze paint. I would, believe me, but because _someone_ is stingy," Rachel glared at the sun and looked back at Nyssa, "I have to let someone else do it."

"...Will? The only son of Apollo in camp who _really_ takes after his dad, Will?" Nyssa asked. "Why couldn't Shaun or Grant do it?"

"That's just a rumor. And besides, Naruto looks too much like a brother for Will to think that," Rachel said. "You can go supervise if you want."

"Damn right I'll supervise," Nyssa said with a frown. A small grin spread across her face and she smirked at Rachel. "I might even help Will with certain areas."

Rachel pouted and turned to resume her walk. Naruto scratched his head in confusion. All he got out of the conversation was that something was going on him and Nyssa didn't like Will for some reason. He let it go as Nyssa took hold of his arm and dragged him onto the cabin's deck.

There were a few catcalls upon the door opening and Will shut the door behind him with a frown, carrying two paint cans. He looked Naruto up and down for a second before looking at Rachel. "I didn't think you'd actually get him to agree."

"It's not like he's posing for a nude," Rachel said. "Though maybe next month..."

"What?" Naruto asked, eyes wide.

"Just kidding Handsome," Rachel said with a smirk.

"From the rumors spreading around camp, I doubt anyone would be able to get an accurate sketch," Will said with a chuckle. He looked at Nyssa. "So what was it like?"

"Filling." Nyssa said.

"Hate you both." Rachel pouted. The other two demigods shared a laugh.

"Did I miss something?" Naruto asked.

Will shook his head with an amused look on his face. "Not the brightest star in the sky, is he?"

"Hey!" Naruto pouted at the jab.

Will smirked. "Just follow me, Naruto. Hope you can sit still for a while."

"What exactly are you doing to me, anyway?" Naruto asked as he followed Will and Rachel, Nyssa now holding his hand as they walked.

"I'm sodomizing you," Will said dryly. He held a paint can up. "Marble white paint. Your body is a canvas. Do the math."

"Math sucks," Naruto said on instinct. He had a scowl on his face at the thought of the evil subject. If there was one thing he considered doing as Hokage, it was hiring an accountant so he wouldn't have to worry about doing his own taxes or budgeting anymore.

Rachel slapped Will's arm. "Don't be mean. You'll scare him off."

"He took down a giant. I doubt a bit of sarcasm will scare him off," Will said. Rachel glared at him and he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Okay, we're going to paint your body white like marble. Once it dries, we're going to go into town and meet up with a few other kids helping with the charity. They'll tell you where to stand and for however long."

"Why didn't you just say that?" Naruto asked.

"Because demigods have issues with standing still," Rachel said.

"Not him," Nyssa said. She slipped her hand around his waist and grinned. "Tall, stiff and sexy."

Naruto flushed, Will rolled his eyes and Rachel pouted.

"I hate you so much right now," Rachel said.

"You and every other girl in camp," Nyssa said. They stopped at small clearing, just in view of the Big House's back porch.

Will started to lay out a big tarp and snorted. "Better be careful. Some of my sisters are considering making you have an 'accident'. They're like my dad that way, don't like their objects of affection getting taken away from them."

"I'd like to see them try," Nyssa said. She turned to Naruto and held her hand out. "Take your shirt off."

"Okay...?" Naruto pulled his shirt off and gave it to Nyssa. She turned him around and slapped him on the ass, making him yelp and walk forward. He turned to glare at her while she grinned.

Rachel glared at Nyssa with a pout on her face. "I swear if it's as firm as I think it is, I'm going to start looking for a new Oracle."

"It's firmer than that," Nyssa said, smirking as she folded Naruto's shirt loosely and hung it over a branch.

"I hate you."

"Coming from Miss 'Carry Me Handsome?' I think I take that as a compliment."

"With _all_ of my hate." Rachel turned back and watched Will dumped half a can onto Naruto's back.

"COLD!"

"Suck it up! And don't move!"

"But it's _cold_!"

"Don't be a pussy."

After Will repeated the action on Naruto's chest, Rachel snapped a picture with a small pocket camera.

The whole process took about two hours. Nyssa kept a watchful eye on Will and Naruto; occasionally she turned to smirk at Rachel. Rachel, like Nyssa, kept a watchful eye on the two blonds as well, but for multiple reasons. Will made the occasional small talk, asking what Naruto did to get abs like Adonis'. Naruto just shrugged and said he did crunch variations.

After the body paint dried and the dye in his hair settled, Naruto looked like a blue-eyed statue from Ancient Greece. Only he had black basketball shorts on.

"Great, but now we need you to change into this," Rachel said. She held out a pair of white jeans the same shade as his skin. "Also, how comfortable are you going commando?"

Naruto blushed and looked away. "I've done it before for a few missions."

"Could you do it again?" Rachel asked.

"Go inside and change, though." Will ignored the look Rachel gave him. "What? I don't want a bunch of nymphs trying to touch him while some of the paint still dries."

"Will has a good idea. Just go inside and leave your clothes folded up on the bathroom counter," Nyssa said.

Naruto changed into the pants, which hung a bit lower on his waist than he was used to, revealing his Adonis belt that was normally hidden. Rachel pulled her camera back out and snapped another picture off. Nyssa made a grab for it, but Rachel just cradled the camera and stuck her tongue out at the daughter of Hephaestus.

Naruto then got in the van with Rachel, Will and Nyssa, sitting next to Argus so that his painted body wouldn't accidentally get ruined. They arrived at the mall and soon met up with a group of other kids, a few of them painted like he was. The girls stared at him momentarily before looking back at the table. He was told to go stand outside Victoria's Secret in a pose similar to a statue of Adonis.

The irony was not lost on him.

Throughout his time standing outside of the lovely store, many women would walk up to him and test his will. Unfortunately for them, but fortunately for his sanity, Naruto was _very_ good at numbing himself to the world.

"_How is it you can handle these women fondling you but at the Cherry Bomb-?"_

_We've been over this. That incident is not to be spoken about!_

"_But still! What, do you like getting touched? Are you secretly that type of guy?"_

_Just shut up, Kurama._

"_Look at this daring girl. Can't be older than your sister Lucy. And she's touching your butt."_

_...I hate you so much._

"_Come one, come all! Fondle the son of Aphrodite as he stands in the infamous position of her lover!"_

_I'll whip out the sunset memory!_

"_You can't bluff me, Naruto."_

_Who's bluffing?_

"_...I'll tell the others what you're doing right now."_

Naruto fought the urge to widen his eyes in fear. _You wouldn't!_

"_Try me."_

_...So we're at a stalemate, then?_

"_I suppose so."_

_...Eye Spy?_

"_I go first! I spy with my giant red eye..."_

* * *

**AN: Only one chapter remains, and it will come out tomorrow by noon. Tell me what y'all think. You know what I'm saying:**

**REVIEW!**


	16. Breaking

**AN: Co-Written by Engineer4Ever**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Percy Jackson.**

**Fils de l'Amour: The Lost Hero**

**Chapter 16: Breaking  
**

* * *

Naruto was a happy camper after he left the mall, sitting between Rachel and Nyssa before they tried to fight each other in Argus' van. His presence alone had earned at least three hundred dollars for the charity. Throughout the ride home, Nyssa kept bragging to Rachel about how she got to see that for free. Naruto gave the Oracle some relief by saying he might start charging. Will chimed in that he would spread that around camp if it were true and sell tickets to the people who wanted to participate.

Naruto decided to keep his mouth shut the rest of the ride home.

* * *

Three weeks had passed since then, and at the moment, Naruto was spending quality time with his girlfriend.

The sound of collision echoed in the small room. It was accompanied by protesting furniture. Springs compressed and expanded. The noise was drowned out by the metalworking going on above them. Even then, the room had been soundproofed and reinforced with seals.

Nails dug into his flesh. There was a sharp intake of breath from the brief but sensual pain of breaking skin.

A soft moan rang in his ear. He replied with his own in hers.

She encouraged him, urged him on.

He couldn't escape if he tried; legs had wrapped around his waist like a vice and arms had latched onto his back like a lifeline. He was kept in place like a two-by-four that was clamped to a table.

Another moan, returned with a groan. Legs unwound from around his waist, arms weakly fell to the side. The bed protested lightly as he fell to his back off of her.

"Olympus..." Nyssa panted. Naruto looked at her with a light grin. Like himself, she was covered in sweat. It glistened lightly on her skin; it made her look like she was a bronze statue forged in the fires that burned above them. Nyssa turned to look at him with a grin. "Better every time."

"Yeah," Naruto said. His smile dimmed slightly and he rolled onto his side with a frown. "You feel it too, don't you?"

Nyssa looked at him, and he saw in her chocolate brown eyes that she knew what he meant. She gave him a sad smile. "It's gone, isn't it?"

"I'm sorry Nyssa," Naruto said. He saw his reflection in her eyes; he looked genuinely disappointed and it reflected how he felt inside. He liked Nyssa, but not like he had when they had first started dating. The fire that was once there had extinguished.

Nyssa smiled at him. "Don't be. I don't feel it either. And I don't know why. I should. You're sweet, caring, brave, a little smarter than the average bear and sexy as hell."

"You're cute, funny, you have a sass that my mom would love and you're crazy smart," He said. Naruto sighed and flopped back onto the bed. "I like hanging out with you."

"The sex isn't bad either."

"No. No, it is not."

"...So now what?"

"I...I guess we should break up."

Nyssa frowned. "That sucks."

"I know. It's not fair to either of us if we pushed on, though. We should be able to find happiness with someone." Naruto put his arms behind his head and frowned. He turned and gave her another apologetic look. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too," Nyssa said.

"I'll still be your friend, if you want."

Nyssa smiled. "I'd like that."

They lay there for a moment, content with the silence.

Nyssa broke it with a question. "Want to be friends with benefits?"

"What's that?" Naruto asked.

"Well we stay friends, but every now and then when one of us has an 'itch' that needs to be scratched the other can come and take care of it."

"...So...Sex friends?"

"Yeah, you could call it that. 'Friends with benefits' sounds better though."

Naruto thought about it for a moment. "What if one of us finds another person?"

"Then we break it off. It's a no strings attached thing. It'll suck though," Nyssa said. She rested her hand on his stomach and slowly moved her hand south. "You're _really_ good at sixty-nining."

Naruto sheepishly chuckled. "Benefits of being a Toad Sage, I guess."

"So what do you think?" Nyssa asked.

Naruto let his head roll back and let out a light groan. "With that kind of persuasion, how can I say no?"

Nyssa grinned and climbed atop of him. "I knew you'd see it my way."

Naruto grinned back at her and rolled her back over, he let out a chuckle when she squealed in delight.

* * *

Word of their breakup spread quickly, as per the norm of gossip in camp. The reactions varied. Naruto's sisters consoled him, despite the fact he told them he was fine if only just a bit disappointed it didn't work out. When he told them he brought it up, Drew smiled smugly in approval and told him he did great. Naruto gave her a small frown and told her that they both felt it was the right thing to do and that they came to an agreement. That wiped her smile off her face and she huffed.

Piper was there for him, not really sure what to do or say, but just kept him company since he wasn't in the brightest of moods.

The rest of camp, the girls specifically, pestered Nyssa for details. Despite their elation at the news of Naruto being single again, they wanted to know what made her break up with him. Of course, Nyssa just told whoever asked her that they just decided to go separate ways...and about their new status.

The other girls quickly found a new reason to dislike Nyssa. Rachel, when she heard of it, just glared at the sun and stormed off to hide in the big house.

Leo was a bit miffed. He couldn't properly invoke brotherly rights because of the mutual breakup and he was jealous of Naruto. It probably didn't help that Naruto not only still came into his cabin, now it was obvious why he and Nyssa would vanish for hours at a time.

Jason, again, understood Naruto's predicament and supported him. Though he was a bit confused on the friends with benefits thing. Naruto told Jason that if he broke Piper's heart, Naruto wouldn't give him the chance to ask for one. Ever.

Jason took his word for it.

One of the biggest surprises was a small conversation with Annabeth. She expressed her apologies for the way his relationship ended and asked him how he was holding up. Naruto told her he was fine and expected it to end at that. He did not expect to be pinned in his spot by the infamous Athena Glare (trademark pending) and chewed out for getting into a "friends with benefits" relationship. He refused to get out of the relationship and Annabeth stormed off, calling boys 'idiots of the nth degree', whatever that meant.

* * *

Naruto had asked for a few days to clear his head and had just finished packing. He had a second pair of clothes in a pack and had slung it over his shoulder. His staff was in its laser pointer form tucked in his back pocket. Miu waited patiently by the window for him to depart, being his only companion for this trip.

"Do you really have to go?" Lacy asked with a pout. Naruto cracked a smile and ruffled her hair. She pouted even further at the mess he made when he did and tried to tame it.

"I'll be back sooner than you think," Naruto said. He gave her a hug and she gladly returned it.

"I hope so. The testosterone levels are going to plummet with you gone," Mitchel said.

Naruto chuckled and pulled the teary eyed Lacy from his waist. He went over and gave Mitchel a quick brotherly hug. He went through the whole cabin, even pulling the resistant Drew into a tight hug. That got a few laughs from the cabin. He finished with his hug to Piper, who had a sad smile on her face. Naruto smiled back at her and poked her in the forehead.

"Stop looking so sad, Imouto," he said. "Like I told Chiron, I'll be back within the month."

"Just be careful," Piper said. "You're our big brother first and a ninja second."

Naruto chuckled and gave her a small salute. "I'll do my best to stay out of trouble, Imouto-taichou."

Piper arched a brow. "What's that mean?"

"Bye guys!" Naruto ignored her question and looked to Miu. "Ready?"

The eagle flew to his shoulder and crooned as he brushed her beak with his finger. Naruto bit down on his finger and flipped through hand seals before he slammed his hand onto the ground. "_Kuchiyose no Jutsu!_"

There was a small cloud of smoke before a regular sized toad appeared, getting looks of disgust from the daughters of Aphrodite. The toad nodded to Naruto and let out a loud and long croak. Naruto looked at his siblings with a small smile and gave them a two-fingered salute.

"See you later!"

Then he vanished in an explosion of smoke. He left behind the small toad, which then hopped out the window and went to explore the camp for demigods.

* * *

Naruto reappeared in an office, facing the village where he was born, raised and trained. He took it all in with a grin. "I'm back!"

"We can see that, Naruto."

Naruto turned and smiled at the three people. The speaker was the masked teacher who had become akin to a crazy uncle. Naruto beamed at him. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei. Shizune-nee."

Kakashi shut the Icha Icha book in his hand – which reminded Naruto of the deal he made with Leo – and his eyes shut happily, no doubt smiling behind his mask. He was apparently letting Tsunade remain in the seat, seeing as she wore the Hokage robes while he was clad in Jonin wear. "Welcome back, Naruto."

"It's nice to see you again, Naruto." Shizune smiled at him while her pig Ton Ton snorted in greeting.

"You'd better have some good explanation, brat." Naruto turned and smiled sheepishly at the godaime Hokage. Tsunade narrowed honey brown eyes on the bird that perched on Naruto's shoulder. "What's with the bird?"

Miu hissed and Naruto chastised her with a tap on the beak. "No, Miu. She's an eagle, Baachan."

"Eagle, bird, whatever. Same thing," Tsunade said. She interlaced her fingers in front of her. "We can save the pleasantries for later. That idiot Kirabi might have saved you for now, but I could tell he was hiding something. I'm sure Ē, Onoki, Mei and Gaara could, too."

Naruto scratched the back of his neck. "It's kind of complicated."

Tsunade sighed. "Naruto, if I have to, I will pull rank."

"That's a bit harsh, Godaime-sama," Kakashi said to his predecessor.

_"Rokudaime-dono,_ may I remind you that he's been MIA for more than three months now, and as his superior officer it's required that you know where he was and why he left with someone _claiming_ to be his mother...who, may I remind you, is legally deceased," Tsunade said with a stern frown. Kakashi was far too lenient sometimes.

Naruto shifted uncomfortably where he stood. How the hell was he supposed to explain the Greek Gods, his mother's real self, and that their small continent was smaller than they originally thought?

"Tsunade-chan, perhaps I can help in that regard," Fukasaku said as he hopped up to Naruto's other shoulder. "Naruto-chan has successfully left the borders of our continent."

"What?" Tsunade asked. "Explain. Now."

Fukasaku nodded and proceeded to do just that, telling her that since Naruto had first summoned him, the Toads of Mount Myouboku had left their hidden mountain and started to explore the rest of the world. The outside world was more advanced technologically, and far larger than they had anticipated. Naruto then chimed in about the gods, and how their home was once the birthplace of two high leveled ones. Naruto then told the avid listeners about his mother and grandmother – who he called stingy when it came to proper family names, causing Tsunade to ask why she was called Baachan when she wasn't even directly related to him. Naruto replied with her being in her sixties, thus she is Baachan.

He got hit in the face with a stapler for that comment.

When they finished telling Tsunade all about the past few months, she settled in her seat and frowned.

"...If what you say is true, then we should pass this information to the other Kages. They'll pass the Olympians off as exaggeration, but I know you wouldn't make something up in a report like this. Even then, I don't want you to go spouting this around. Ask for my permission to reveal this information, as of now it is an S-class secret." Tsunade tapped her finger on the table. "We'll look into your father's medical records. Perhaps we can discern from that who his mother or his father is."

"You probably won't find anything for his mom, but his dad was smart. Dunno how, but he was," Naruto said with a shrug.

"We'll look into it. Now, how is your arm holding up?" Tsunade asked.

"Perhaps we should leave the check up to his physician," Kakashi said before Naruto could answer. "After all, she should be checking up on Sasuke right now."

Naruto beamed and was gone before Tsunade could stop him. He hopped out of the window and bounded across rooftops towards, for once, the hospital. Tsunade glared at Kakashi, who had buried his face in his porn.

* * *

Naruto scoured the window rooms of the hospital until he found the sourpuss he was looking for. He looked at Miu and grinned at her. "Why don't you go explore, Miu? I'll be fine here."

Miu tilted her head before she flew off with a small cry of excitement. Naruto chuckled and slid the hospital window open and dropped down silently inside. He crept up behind the dark haired teen wearing a black shirt with a red and white fan on the back, fully prepared to surprise his friend. His hair was bound tightly under a bandana with a scarred forehead protector on the side.

"Jump on me and see what happens, Naruto."

Naruto, who was about to do just that, pouted. "Cheater. I thought your Rinnegan was sealed away."

Sasuke turned around and smirked at him. Instead of the cold black eyes he once had, Sasuke's left eye was now entirely purple and filled with rippled rings around the pupil, three tomoe on the nearest ripple. This was the ultimate doujutsu, the Rinnegan. The right eye was the standard fully mature Sharingan. Naruto noticed his face was a bit tanner than usual.

"The abilities of the sage are still sealed, idiot," Sasuke said, holding up his right arm and revealing a small solid black crescent moon on his palm. "See?"

"Good! Say, have you been going on missions?" Naruto asked. He squinted his eyes at his friend. "Your skin isn't so...milky."

"I should be asking you the same," Sasuke said. "You look...different. You lose weight?"

Naruto scratched his left cheek with a finger and chuckled sheepishly. "Yeah, I guess you could say that." He frowned. "Have you been on missions?"

"As if Tsunade or any of the other Kage would let him," a new voice said with a snort. Naruto beamed at Sakura, who smiled back at him. "Well it's about time you got back. And Naruto?"

"Yeah, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked. His face suddenly became reacquainted with the floor and the back of his head throbbed something fierce.

"_That's_ for running off for _months_ without letting me check your arm! You idiot," Sakura said. She blew the smoke off her knuckles and gave Sasuke a challenging look.

Sasuke wisely had no comments.

Naruto groaned and got to his feet. "I think I forgot how to read Greek..."

"Read what?" Sakura asked.

"Nothing, Baachan will probably tell you later," he said. He rubbed his head. "Seriously, why does everyone always hit me?"

"Because you're a hardheaded idiot," Sasuke said.

"Hey!"

"He's not entirely wrong," Sakura said.

Naruto pouted at her. "Whose side are you on anyway?"

"Shut up and sit down." Sakura pointed at the bed and turned to get some supplies from the cupboard.

Naruto huffed and went over to sit next to Sasuke. "You better write down the concussion you gave me!"

"What concussion?"

"The one I got when you punched me!"

"I punched you? I don't remember punching you."

"Oh, ha ha. Must be my concussion!"

"Must be."

Naruto huffed and turned to look at Sasuke. "But seriously, what have you been doing?"

"Travelling the country," Sasuke said. He looked at his left arm, where it ended just before the elbow. "Unlike you, I don't have an almighty Biju to regenerate a limb."

"No, but you could've taken the prosthetic like I did," Naruto said dryly.

"_Like I could heal that arm _and_ recover from my chakra being split. Your mother must've done something to your arm to make it look more natural,"_ Kurama said. He snorted disdainfully._ "Tell the Uchiha I still plan to devour him. And I suppose you could tell the pink thing I said hello."_

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Kurama says hello."

"So he's awake?" Sakura asked. She walked over with a needle in hand.

Naruto glared at the object. "Yes. Why do you have that?"

"Blood sample. We have to refresh samples after every six months. You know the drill."

"Do _not_ touch me with that thing," Naruto said.

Sakura arched a brow. "I'm sorry, did you just try to tell me how to do my job?"

Sasuke scooted to edge of the bed, his face betraying nothing.

"Traitor," Naruto said with a scowl. He looked back at Sakura. "Please don't stick me with a needle."

"My god, Naruto. You're seventeen. Grow up already and just let me draw some blood," Sakura said. Naruto whimpered but consented, going rigid as the needle pressed against his arm. Sakura shook her head. "Hero of the World and he's afraid of needles."

"I am not! I just don't like them," Naruto said.

"He _is_ afraid of ghosts," Sasuke said.

"That's a legitimate fear! You can't fight a ghost!" Well, Naruto wasn't sure about Celestial Bronze, but he wasn't going to be the one to test that.

"Sit still!" Sakura glared at the blond and resumed drawing blood. "And you, Sasuke, should not be one to talk. Or would you like to revisit some interesting psych files?"

Sasuke grunted.

"Great, you shut him down. Way to go, Sakura-chan."

"Shut up, Naruto." Sakura set the full needle on a tray and then turned back to Naruto. "Let me see the arm."

Naruto rolled his eyes and shucked his jacket off. He gave Sakura his right arm and she held up her hands to it, medical chakra encasing them before she pressed them against his skin. Naruto let a small wince escape him from the intrusion of chakra.

"Wow, the complexion looks more natural. There's a faint fracture line. Naruto, what did you do?" Sakura sounded exasperated as she continued to examine his arm. "And your prosthetic chakra coil feels like shit."

Naruto scratched the back of his head with his other hand. "I, uh, might have gotten in a few fights..."

"Big surprise." Sasuke flared his chakra and looked at Naruto's arm with his left eye. "The coil is a bit out of line. It didn't settle right after the arm was reset from whatever break it had."

"_That cure all potion must not affect prosthetic coils,"_ Kurama said. Naruto silently agreed with him.

"I can fix that, it's going to hurt though," Sakura said.

Naruto groaned and brought his other arm up to his mouth, biting down. Through muffled lips, he said. "Ready!"

Sakura nodded and manipulated her chakra. Naruto bit down hard on his arm, breaking through skin with ease, and released pain-filled screams into it. A bead of sweat fell down the side of Sakura's face and she narrowed her eyes. A few minutes ticked by before she stopped and Naruto flopped onto his back, letting his arm fall to his side while he cradled his other arm.

"Fu-u-u-u-u-uck me that hurt," Naruto said, feeling the glare Sakura set on him. He sat up and looked over his arm, wincing as he flexed his hand. "Is it supposed to hurt?"

"I just reset your chakra coil after it had been disfigured and overused. Yes. It's supposed to hurt," Sakura said. She went to the drawer and pulled out some bandages. "You need to wrap it from now on. It'll help keep your prosthetic coil straight, but you have to be careful. Got it?"

"Yes Sakura-chan," Naruto said, watching Sakura wrap his arm. "But, uh, why bandages and not a cast?"

"They're unique bandages," Sasuke said. He gestured to his arm, which was bandaged in a similar manner. "Your prosthetic is broken. The bandages are designed to keep chakra within the body and it prevents chakra exhaustion from taking hold. It's the type of bandage they use on amputee shinobi. It's like preventing someone from bleeding out, only this helps you control the chakra flow into your arm. They also allow you to retain the full mobility in your hand and arms while the prosthetic recovers."

"What?" Naruto blinked in confusion.

"Your arm isn't the original one," Sakura said. "It's a very good pass, but there are some things that don't heal completely. Plus, you almost blew your coil when you used it while they were deformed."

"Oh...Oops?" Naruto said. _Why didn't you say anything!?_

"_What, about the break? I was keeping an eye on it. It wasn't anything too serious, they're just trying to scare you because they care."_

Naruto rolled his eyes and sat back up to smile at his friends. "So, what's been going on while I was gone?"

"The better question is where were you?" Sakura asked.

"Did you kill the impersonator?" Sasuke asked.

"Uh...That's classified as S-class secret for now and no! She...was my mother..." Naruto rubbed his neck at the incredulous looks he got. "I know, I know, but once Baachan gives me the okay I can tell you guys everything."

"Figures. The Hokage are always keeping secrets from us," Sasuke said with a huff.

"Like you're one to talk about keeping secrets, Mr. Hickey," Sakura said. She frowned at Naruto. "Really though?"

"Hands are tied. Metaphorically speaking," Naruto said. He looked at his right arm with a hum. "This is actually really cool...Are these the bandages Bushy Brows uses?"

"No, he uses bandages that are designed to protect the skin when fighting...and you're going to waste some money on them aren't you?" Sakura sighed.

Naruto pouted. "I think they're cool!"

"Next you'll be getting a new jumpsuit," Sakura said.

Naruto blinked and looked down at his clothes. Plain orange shirt and jeans...Naruto beamed. He could get his jumpsuits from his apartment.

"Sakura, I would suggest you stop giving him ideas," Sasuke said.

"Oh for the love of – Naruto you _can't_ wear those orange things! I think you grew a few inches so they wouldn't fit anyway," Sakura said.

Naruto hung his head forlornly.

Sasuke shook his head. "Idiot."

"Says the guy wearing a half-turban," Naruto said with a frown. Sasuke just turned and gave him a small glare.

"It actually works for him. He looked like a crazy drifter when he came in," Sakura said. She smirked at Sasuke while he glared at her.

"Better than trying to dress up like a tea setter when you're a doctor." Sasuke grunted when Sakura's fist came down on his head.

"Wanna run that by me again, Uchiha?"

"It's so hard to believe you all used to be my cute little genin." The members of Team Seven turned around to look at the window where Kakashi was perched flipping through his book. He looked up with an eye smile. "I remember when we first met...How naïve and foolish you all were."

"The bookworm with anger issues who could be beaten by a gust of wind." Sakura scowled at him.

"The self-proclaimed avenger who has a superiority-inferiority complex. Possibly a brother fixation, as well." Sasuke's eye twitched.

"The loudmouthed eyesore with an IQ no bigger than one of my ninken." Naruto growled angrily.

Kakashi wiped an imaginary tear from his scarred eye. "Where the years have gone..."

"Are you trying to earn a stay in _my_ hospital, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, her fist trembling from where it was on Sasuke's head.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "I think he could use a good thrashing, what do you say, Naruto?"

"Let's have another bell test." Naruto slammed his right fist into his left hand and grinned. "I'm all for it!"

"Maa, maa so eager to fight. Don't threaten your Hokage," Kakashi said.

"You're not my Hokage. I'm not reinstated," Sasuke said.

"All the same, your lovable sensei is just playing around," Kakashi said, chuckling. He snapped his fingers. "Ah, yes, I forgot to give something to you, Naruto. A gift from the Ichiraku family."

Naruto blinked, his hands dropping to his sides. "A gift from Ayame-neechan and the old man?"

"Yes!" Kakashi reached into his pouch and pulled out a piece of paper with a hastily drawn seal on it. He used chakra to unseal the contents and when the smoke cleared, he and Naruto were the only ones smiling. In Kakashi's hands were a pair of dark pants and an orange and black hoodie. "Specially ordered to be weighted and have a thin layer of chainmail between the fabric!"

Sasuke shook his head in disappointment. "He's enabling him."

"Great. And he was starting to look a bit more respectable," Sakura said.

Naruto was on his feet holding the new clothes with a grin plastered on his face. "I'm going to change right now!"

"NOT IN HERE!" Sakura and Sasuke were glaring heavily at the blond.

"...I'm going to go to the bathroom and change right now!"

"Better!" Kakashi said, giving Naruto a thumbs up. Naruto beamed and dashed into the hall to find a bathroom. Kakashi blinked when he looked at his other two students. "What?"

"A new jumpsuit? Really?" Sakura asked dryly.

"He wouldn't be Naruto without the jumpsuit!" Kakashi's eyes closed as he smiled at his two students.

Sasuke and Sakura conceded to that.

"Maybe a haircut, too," Kakashi said, rubbing his chin. "Long hair doesn't suit him like it did his father."

"Like you're one to talk," Sasuke said.

"Hello pot, my name is kettle. Guess what?"

"Funny, Hatake. Real funny."

"I like to think so." Kakashi chuckled and his eyes closed as he smiled again. "Looking sharp, Naruto."

Sakura and Sasuke turned to look at the blond and admitted that he did pull the outfit off. The pants ended right beneath his knees and the sleeves of the zip-up jacket ended right after his elbows.

"Okay, I admit, it doesn't look bad." Sakura crossed her arms and gave him a small smile.

"...But why orange?" Sasuke asked.

"Orange is the color-!"

"Of the gods. We know," Sakura and Sasuke said, rolling their eyes.

"_They have no clue,"_ Kurama said.

Naruto nodded and beamed at the reminder.

"You know, Kakashi-sensei is right, though. You should get a haircut, Naruto," Sakura said.

"...Huh?" Naruto blinked.

"Right Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura turned to look and him and scowled. "I hate it when he vanishes like that."

"Well, you have fun with that," Sasuke said. He got up and went over to the coat hanger. He grabbed his cloak and drew it around himself before he vanished in an explosion of smoke.

"Asshole," Sakura said.

"I've been saying it for years," Naruto said with a nod.

Sakura growled and stormed out of the room. She grabbed Naruto's arm and drug him out with her despite his protests. After she had clocked out, they left the hospital and walked down the street.

"Man this jacket is like a thousand times more comfortable than the last one," Naruto said. He frowned. "Probably won't be good for missions though."

"You think so?" Sakura asked.

Naruto nodded and they walked in a comfortable silence towards the barbershop. Naruto wasn't going to argue, he knew Sakura had only the best intentions in mind. Worst-case scenario, his mom forces his hair to grow back out – or so Drew tells him she can and will do. He let his mind wander back to camp and wonder how everything was going.

Sakura had other things on her mind. Why the hell is everyone staring at Naruto? Everyone being every woman in the village. Sakura stole a glance at Naruto and admitted that he looked more attractive – still not dateable, but he was attractive. Her eyebrows narrowed while she tried to figure out what had happened to him while he was gone. She would continue to wonder this after he got his haircut that somehow made him even _more_ attractive – one woman walked into a cart because she wouldn't take her eyes off Naruto – while they ate at Ichiraku Ramen.

Ayame was ecstatic to see he was wearing the jumpsuit. Teuchi made a large bowl for their favorite customer, on the house. Naruto almost died from bliss. Shortly halfway into lunch, Miu swooped in and perched herself on Naruto's shoulder.

"Uh, Naruto?" Sakura pointed at Miu. "There's a bird on your shoulder."

"It's an eagle," Ayame said with a gasp. "She's gorgeous!"

Miu squawked proudly. Naruto rolled his eyes and offered her a dumpling from his hand. "Don't inflate her ego more than it already is. Sakura-chan, Ayame-neechan, this is Miu. Miu, say hello."

Miu gave Ayame and Teuchi a glance before bowing forward to Ayame. She righted herself and looked at Sakura. Her head tilted this way and that before she faced forward and took another offered dumpling.

"Your eagle just blew me off," Sakura said flatly.

Naruto looked at her with noodles hanging from his mouth before he slurped them up. He swallowed and frowned. "Really? Weird. Miu's usually a lot more welcoming to people."

"She's so pretty," Ayame said. She offered a small dumpling to the eagle and giggled happily when Miu took it from her. "Oh, she's precious!"

"Just like your mother. An avid bird watcher," Teuchi said with a chuckle. "If I didn't know better, I used to think she watched the sky itself."

"Well not everyone can fall in love with their calling, dad," Ayame said with a sad smile.

Naruto frowned. "What was your mom like?"

Ayame smiled sadly. "I don't know. She left after I was born."

"Yes, but she left you behind," Teuchi said with a smile. "The best farewell gift I could've ever received."

Naruto smiled lightly at that.

"So, Naruto, can you tell us where you were?" Teuchi asked.

Naruto recognized his attempt to change the subject and complied with the silent request. "I was exploring the world."

"Oh ho! From ninja to journeyman? That sounds familiar," Teuchi said. He leaned on the counter and asked. "I take it you're continuing Jiraiya-sama's work then?"

Naruto flushed bright red. "No! Don't ask me things like that, you perverted cook!"

Teuchi laughed profoundly and nodded in Ayame's direction. "I wasn't asking for me, Naruto."

"Touchan!" Ayame looked horrified.

Naruto's face turned a darker shade of red and his eyes rolled into his head. He fell off his stool, unconscious. Miu had hopped to the counter and was finishing Naruto's ramen while Sakura gaped at the bright red Ayame.

Teuchi continued to laugh. "Oh, the look on his face. And he thought I wouldn't ever get him back for what he did to my stand when he was six! Painting it pink, little runt. All because I wouldn't tell him the recipe to my ramen."

* * *

**AN: Thank you all for reading this idea. Thanks to Engineer4Ever for his big hand in the making of this fic. Thanks to Rick Riordan, whose work inspired the world, which I invaded mercilessly. Thanks to Masashi Kishimoto for his wonderfully loveable idiot, who I took hold of and adore with all my hear. Both series are now over (SOB) and it is with a heavy heart that I say that I declare this fic over!**

**THE END **

**...For now...**

**REVIEW!**

**Naruto Uzumaki, son of Aphrodite and legacy of Athena, will return in **_**Fils de l'Amour: The Mark of Athena**_


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